


They Left Us For Dead

by madisonsharon



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 40
Words: 24,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22117780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madisonsharon/pseuds/madisonsharon
Summary: {Based off of the game Left4Dead2}Five survivors; Nick, Coach, Rochelle, Ellis, and Kelsey must fight off the infected to find a way to sanctuary. Will they manage to survive or will they succumb to the nasty Green Flu?
Relationships: Ellis (Left 4 Dead)/Reader, Nick (Left 4 Dead)/Reader
Kudos: 7





	1. Day One

"Kelsey, do you have the stack of papers?" Mrs. Gen, my college professor had asked me. I smiled and handed her the stack gently, making sure to maintain the smile.

I was a teacher's assistant in my final semester of college, and in my second residency and nearly graduating with a doctorates degree in biomedical science. I wanted to become a doctor, and I knew where I was going with my life, or so I thought.

"Thank you, Miss Briggs. You are free to go, see you Monday!" She smiled and I collected my stuff from a nearby desk, making my way out swiftly.

Tonight was going to be great, I was nervous but mostly anxious as there was a new strand of flu going rampant around the country. CEDA made a national statement that it was nothing to be worried about, and everyone went on with their lives.

I walked into the apartment I shared with my boyfriend, Jace. I opened the door but it was freezing. The air in the room was rather cold, Jace never liked it cold. He would die before he'd get cold.

"Jace, I'm back! Are you here?" I shouted, slowly walking in with caution. I hear slight grunting from our bedroom, so I paced myself to the door and gently turned the door knob.

"J-jace?" I say in a hushed whisper, as he turns around with white eyes, a hollowed face, and pale skin. He had blood dripping from his mouth and he was now growling at me. Never had I ever looked at him in such a way, there was something wrong. CEDA was wrong...

I grabbed a nearby kitchen pan and held it tightly in my hands. Jace stumbled to me, his arms trying to reach mine, his mouth open and waiting anxiously to chew on my arms.

I took the pan and briskly aimed for his head, briefly knocking him out. I was finally able to breathe normally, and sat the pan down. Jace was dead...at my own hands. What was I going to do?

I was deep in thought when I heard the hallways of the hotel I was staying in, filled with loud screaming and people running for the stairs. Smoke filled the air as I went outside.

"What's going on?" I yelled as people continued to panic to get out.

"We need to get the roof, there's a chopper up there!" A man with a white suit shared with me, and I followed him. I was shocked to see these people like Jace running around eating people and brutally punching, scratching, and smacking people. The man pulled my arm as to get me to move, and I did so.

By the time we made it to the roof, there were three others, not including the man and I.

"Where's the chopper?" I scrambled to find words through my panic. 

"It's gone. They left us here." The woman said, sending shivers down my spine. 

They left us for dead.


	2. Dead Center: Hotel

"HEY! COME BACK!" The dark-complected man yelled to the chopper, which had already made its way away from the hotel's roof. The hope I had was dwindling, and the fact I don't know these people only made matters worse.

"That chopper looks like it's headin' to the evac center at the mall!" They country boy with the cap, states. I think he might have a plan, a plan I will gladly follow.

"Gotta agree, let's follow 'em to the mall." I nod and grab an axe from the side of the table situated against the wall. I was clearly nervous, but I managed to keep a firm grip on the axe.

We all made our way down the steps and came to a closed door. I take a deep breath, preparing for what ever should come from the other side of that door.

Zombies in hazmat suits, people gone crazy, people that I once knew are just dead. The literal walking dead. There were dead bodies astray in each hallway, with blood spatters all across the walls, covering the floral wallpaper. The place I once called home was gone.

"Hey, this elevator works!" The only other woman in the group, yells. She looks like she knows how to handle a gun, making me wonder what these people did when they were normal.

"My friends call me Coach, y'all can do the same." The darker complected man says, and we all nod. Greetings.

"Name's Rochelle, you?" She cocked her gun and got ready to run.

"Ellis, it's a pleasure to meet you Rochelle and...?" Ellis turned his head to face me, giving me a slight wink.

"My name is Kelsey." I say, wiping the extra blood off of my axe. They all look at me like I'm crazy for still maintaining my 'germaphobe' trait.

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Kelsey." I smile, Ellis seemed like a real nice man. A man I might like to stick around with.

"Son, what's your name?" Coach asked the suited man, and I was honestly curious about him the most. He seemed to hide some dark shit under that facade. Only time will tell I suppose.

"The name's Nick and that's all you need to know." He mostly ignored when we asked each other questions, causing me to only get more curious. He carried himself like a man who knew his away around, and not exactly like a tour guide.

We raced through the horde of zombies, whilst trying our best to not become human chips. The fire was so hot, I could feel it in my bones. The smoke made it extra hard to spot incoming infected. Let alone the special infected.

"Look, it's a safe room!" Rochelle shouted and ran into the room. Coach quickly turned around and latched the door so we could be safe for a while.

Coach was cleaning his gun, Rochelle was fixing her hair, Nick was looking through his pocketbook, and Ellis was looking out the door for any stray zombies. Which left me with nothing to do. Except of course, be nosy as hell.

"So," I broke the silence and they all turned to me, "what did you guys do before the world went to die?" I situated myself on the table and waiting for their responses, or any.

"I used to be a football coach for the local high school." Coach answered, looking down at the floor while he said so. There was so much more to him, and I think we all knew it.

"I used to help my family with raisin' cattle and tobacco. Mostly, it's me and my buddy Keith doing fun shit like getting electrocuted. Oh man!" I could tell Ellis was going to be the talkative one of the group. But, sometimes silence kills.

"I worked as a news writer, and was getting ready to get married to my fiancé, Lorenzo." Rochelle's little spill had me thinking about all the futures that could have been and what they've been reduced to now.

"What about you, sweetheart?" Nick smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes. I don't need someone calling me sweetheart in the fucking zombie apocalypse.

"I'm actually a doctor, or was almost. I only had one more semester of residency and then I was a certified doctor." The whole group looked at me with hope in their eyes, like I could solve something.

"So, what do you think this 'infection' even is?" Nick asked, pausing what he was doing.

"Well, CEDA said it was a simple strand of flu, which is utterly incorrect. It is an infection, but its consistently mutating and changing so there really isn't going to be a single working vaccine or cure when we cannot trace down patient zero and so forth."

"Basically, there is no cure? We're just expected to live like fucking rats in New York City?" Nick was getting frustrated at the facts, so I decided to fill him in on some other deets I gathered whilst killing, slaughtering, and observing the zombies we encountered.

"Well, I was able to make some conclusions as to how it might work, using their symptoms, reactions, and physical appearance."

"And?" Nick was the one asking the questions but refused to answer any of ours. Times were bound to change.

"You haven't introduced yourself, Nick."

"The world ended. What I used to do doesn't matter anymore." He had a point, but curiosity took over and I continued to bug him about it.

"Fine! I gambled. That's all you're getting." At least I got an answer. I let the rest go and we prepare for the next step on our way to evacuation center at the mall.


	3. Dead Center: Streets

"Man, I can't believe I'm stranded in Savanna." Rochelle seems very aggravated. She obviously wasn't from Georgia, and to be fair, I wasn't either. I was only here for college and residency.

"Dude, Savanna is awesome! I'll show ya the sights on the way to the mall." Ellis seemed excited to be the new tour guide of the zombie apocalypse. That's a sentence I never thought I would say.

As we were taking care of the first sets of zombies in the front alley of the hotel, I made sure to take mental notes of the states of the infected. Specifically targeting their behaviors. I noticed certain characteristics about the special infected. There were so many different mutations, it was hard to distinguished. We should probably give them a name for what they can do.

"The fuck is that thing?" Nick yells, aiming his gun towards the ultra strong infected man with extremely large muscles and inhuman strength like Godzilla.

"A...its a tank." I named it accordingly. They seemed to like the name, and continue to defend the group. Making me think it would be best to name them, to warn the group before they get too close, knowing their weaknesses and strengths.

"What else are you calling them all?" Coach asked, as we were getting close to a safe room. I was thinking about what I had seen.

"The women who have the mutation with the abundance of stomach acid, should be called at Spitter. She spits her acid at us, knowing it will cause physical harm to us." We has just killed a spitter early that day, it was still fresh in my mind.

"The one that uses their dangerous puke to attract hordes should be called the Boomer. They explode only when killed. Which is our goal."

"You ain't wrong." Ellis reprimanded, and I smiled back to him.

"The one that uses its hunting instinct to track its prey should be called the Hunter." It was very self-explanatory so I figured we'd know when they were around.

"The one who can use its own directional system to lead us anywhere should be called the Jockey. Those little fuckers seem to look like suffer from an extreme form of scoliosis, with the mutation from the Green Flu."

"Don't you think naming it a flu was a stupid move? I mean, it made it seem like nothing!" Coach was getting angry at CEDA for the incompetence of spreading correct information.

"The one who uses its tongue to find prey and can cause serious nerve damage to the neck and throat, should be called the Smoker as when you shoot it, it's only defense is the smoke it emits." The smokers were the weakest of all special infected, other than the boomers.

"The one that can drag you for miles without getting tired should be called the Charger. Only one side of the body and brain are affected, leaving it with only one strong side and one weak one."

"So, we might have a chance at these Chargers?"

"Maybe. I hope so..." I reply, trying to keep my composure. This was some heavy stuff to talk about, especially when everyone around is dead.

"The one that cries alone, and can lure anyone into her trap, should be called the Witch. I'm still not too sure about her just yet, she could be cured. I think she is suffering from a low sugar level, which I can fix."

"I think that's all we've seen so far. I hope we don't encounter anymore of those damn things." Nick says, raising his gun and the door to look for any looming infected.

I sat back down at made some notes in my medical journal. Even if I couldn't cure the disease, maybe I could help someone else with all of the data. Maybe one day, somebody can fix this global corruption...

"Does the mall look busy to you?" Coach asks as the silence creeps up on us all.

"Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this..."


	4. Dead Center: Mall

"It's a bit quiet, but I still say we should check it out." Rochelle suggests, peeking over the safe room door.

"Maybe the evac is a bit further in the mall?" Ellis questioned, giving us all a sense of uncertainty. Should we really take such a risk?

"Goddamn, I hate malls." Nick was always negative. It didn't matter how optimistic Ellis was, Nick was pessimistic and remained that way.

"Everybody father round, let's pray." Coach tells us, and we follow suit. Coach starts the prayer and I bow my head. Nick seemed to have lost the message, looking everywhere around the room except down. The bastard could at least have some respect.

"CEDA has got to be around here somewhere, right?" I ask, and to no surprise, nobody replied, "let's find this evac and get out of here."

"If anybody sees a men's store, let me know. I got blood on my suit." Nick retorts, clearly only caring about one thing and one thing only; his fucking suit.

"Man I love malls! Once I was in this mall up in Atlanta and these guys were dancing for like money and stuff and my friend Dave and I was all like-"

"You know what I like best about your stories, Ellis? The sound they make when they stop. Why don't we just try quiet time for a while?" Nick was acting like an asshole for absolutely no reason, so I planned to put him back in his place.

"Nick, unless you want to become one of those fuckers out here in the mall, I suggest you keep your lousy ass opinion to yourself. Got it?" Nick looked weirded out by how much I gritted my teeth and raised my voice. I wouldn't do this, but this time someone needed to.

"Damn, you got fire Kel." Nick replies, laughing as he reloads his assault rifle. What was so funny? The fact that he got yelled at by a woman? Or just because he got told what to do for once in his life?

"Well, lets roll on out." Coach announced as we all headed for the door. Nick kept a close eye on me, I could practically feel it in my skull. It made me want to punch him, but I saved that for my dreams at night.

"Keep a look out for anything useful. Especially the food court. I'm starvin'." Coach complains, pointing to his grumbling stomach. We hadn't eating in a few hours, but that was normal for me. For Coach, not so much...

I shot any incoming infected, and the others did the same. Surprisingly, the coast was actually pretty clear. We could see where we were going and rarely had to stop for anything.

"There's another safe room!" Rochelle tells us, and we pick up the pace. The day was nearing the end, meaning we'd have to stop and rest for the night. I knew I probably wouldn't get much sleep, considering the state of emergency.

"Okay, y'all we should be gettin' some sleep." Ellis says, taking his hat off for the first time. His hair was a dusty blonde, with little swirls of curls. He was actually very good looking, and I probably would have liked him even before all this. Something about him, made me feel so dangerous and special. Dangerously special.

I get myself situated on the floor and ready to sleep. It was very cold concrete, slightly covered in human blood. I was so tired that I couldn't be bothered by it. My mind was on so many other things, a bit of blood didn't make me queasy.

I hadn't realized how zoned out I was until Ellis pointed out I was crying.

"You okay, Kelsey?" He asks, gently walking over to me, sitting beside me on the floor.

No, I wasn't okay. My parents, sister, brother, dog, and everyone I loved was probably dead. Hell, I had barely survived with these people, I'd be stupid to think they do it all alone. By the looks of the refugee centers that have been slaughtered, there were probably already goners.

I started sobbing at this point, I felt like my life was slipping out of my hands. One wrong move, and I would be like the rest of my family.

"Hey, it's okay. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but things will be okay, Kels. You're awesome from what i've seen and super smart, man." Ellis had brushed a piece of my hair behind my hair. I slightly blushed, the last person who did that was Jace...

"Thanks, Ellis. It means a lot." There was a tension in the air, but not the bad kind. It was a sweet, gentle and caring one. Ellis leaned in and I did the same, and we almost...

"Damn, this floor is awful. I say we go back and eat a couch from the mall!" Nick complains, and he returns to the main room of the safe room. Ellis and I return to our normal positions, but I give him a generous smile, and he returns the favor.

Damn you, Nick. Damn you.


	5. Dead Center: Atrium

"Ah, Jimmy Gibbs Jr...just the best stock car racer of all time!" Ellis looked so happy, staring at the poster hung gently but sturdily on the wall.

"Who the hell is Jimmy Gibbs Jr?" Nick asks, with a not so nice attitude. Ellis and Coach both looked equally offended. It was actually pretty funny, and maybe the first time I've laugh in three days.

"Well, around here he's as famous as Elvis. Or the president." Coach says, thinking about how much he loves him.

"Really? That's funny considering he looks like an asshole." Nick seemed genuinely shocked, but it didn't change the fact that all he needed was a mirror.

"You've been making jokes about Savanna all day and I've held my tongue. But you DO NOT belittle Jimmy Gibbs Jr. That man is the pride of Georgia. I would take a bullet for that man." Ellis says, before turning around to the poster again, "If the laws of nature allowed it, I would bear that man's children."

"Okay, Ellis what the fuck?"

"Sorry, I just really love him man." Ellis says, scratching the back of his neck to hide further embarrassment.

We continued our way into the atrium of the mall. This mall was enormous, but we managed to. navigate it relatively quickly. It was abundantly clear that no form of rescue, evacuation, or save haven was near. Now was time for plan B.

"Anybody got ideas?" I ask, and the room goes silent for several minutes. Great.

"Let's drive Jimmy's stock car right on outta here! With gas of course." Ellis' idea wasn't half bad. It would be our fastest form of transportation to almost anywhere we wanted to go.

"Let's get this show on the road." I say, but Nick of course has to be a smartass and cut me off.

"More like a shit show, but whatever to get me out of this goddamn mall." Nick says, as the elevator door opens. We all run out, to find gas and avoid the zombies.

"You all get the cans and Ellis and I will fill the tank!" I yell, as Coach, Nick, and Rochelle go off on their own to find 10 gas cans. Ellis was covering my back whilst I filled the tank up.

"You look good beside a car like this, you know?" Ellis smirked, and I laughed. His little smile was always so cute.

I had managed to get 9 cans in the car, but we still needed one more.

"TANK! EVERYBODY HELP OVER HERE!" Coach screamed, and Ellis and I rejoined as Rochelle gave me the last gas can.

I can back to the car, and get situated in the side front passenger seat. I see them all running for the car as I start it, and put my seatbelt on. Ellis hopped in the front seat and Nick, Coach, and Rochelle were squished in the back seat, but managed to get in before the tank smashed the car. Ellis puts the gas to the floor and we start flying out of the mall, breaking the glass in the process.

"Holy shit! Did y'all see that? That was awesome!" Ellis laughs as he continues to drive towards the highway.

It was going to be a long journey to the next CEDA center, which was in New Orleans. But, that was a trip we were all willing to take for safety.


	6. The Road Trip

We had already been on the road for a while now, maybe 2 hours or so. We were inching our way south slowly. The highways were clear for the most part, other than the occasion stray zombies. They seemed to be mindless, having no thought process other than tearing the flesh from humans.

I would be lying if I said it had been quiet, because Ellis filled the time with more of his stories. Mostly the ones about his buddy Keith.

"I knew this guy, who was tryin' to set the world record for stayin' on a ferris wheel. He'd been up there for like two days or somethin' and he wanted some beer, but they weren't givin' him any. So, he got this rope, don't ask me where he got the rope from, and-" Ellis, was ranting again. I actually liked to hear stories about the world when it was normal. Even if Ellis didn't have so called 'normal' stories.

"Boy, you are wearing me out." Coach says, adjusting to the back passenger seat. I didn't how Ellis could drive and talk like that all at the same time. He was special, and I think he knew that.

Every few hours, we would get up and trade seats, and give the driver a break. We had been driving for almost two days, and it was progressively getting darker, and everyone was very tired.

"Oh shit..."

"What? What's going o-" I was cut off by the looks of a bridge that needed to be lowered. We weren't getting it lowered until we had gas.

"Looks like we've got some people to talk to."

"Well...anybody got a new plan?" Rochelle asked, looking at the bridge, several feet up form where we were standing.

I was so lost in thought, I didn't hear the woman above the bridge yelling down to us.

"Hello down there!" The woman looked young, and had dark brown hair, and seemingly pale skin. Rochelle smiled to herself for a moment.

"Is that a survivor?" Nick says.

"Oh thank God! I thought we were the last women on Earth!" Rochelle cheers, and I giggle.

"You wanna let the bridge down for us?" Coach yelled, trying to make sure he was heard. All  
though, I'm sure they could hear us.

"Sorry, we can't. We have wounded up here!" She looks back, as there must be someone laying down with severe injuries, "Nice car dude!"

I looked over to Ellis who was totally lovestruck. His cheeks were as red as a tomato. I don't know why, but it made me...jealous.

"Well...you gonna respond?" I urge him, seeing if he would. He seems to be too in his head to form a sentence. Great.

"Hey, Ellis?"

"Hey hee haw!"

"Aye, Cletus!"

"She's so beautiful...." Ellis said in a soft whisper, and I heard every breath. I was becoming more jealous each second he looked at her. Why was I like this?

"You've been killing zombies for the better part of two days boy, you can talk to a girl." Coach helps him out, but he doesn't seem to be in the mood to listen to much.

"Nah, I can't." Ellis says, softly speaking in a hushed whisper. This was so out of character for Ellis, not being loud or telling any jokes. Something was up with him. I intended to find out...


	7. The Passing: Riverbank

"What's that supposed to mean?" I was a little concerned, he had never been like this in the past week I've been with him.

"I feel like it would be cheating." Cheating? What in the world is he talking about?

"Cheating? What-"

"I really like you, Kel." Ellis states, getting red in the face, "can one of y'all handle this?" I lock eyes with the boy. He was very sweet, and maybe meeting him wasn't coincidental. Maybe this a sign...

Coach nodded and took leadership of the situation.

"You mean to tell me there ain't no way of lowerin' bridge?" Coach asks, suspicious of their incompetence.

"No, the generator is outta gas! If you can get over to the other side and fill it up, we can cover you!" She yells down to us, and turns to her fallen comrade.

"That's terrific cupcake! Look, is there a man up there we can talk to?" Nick yells, pushing Rochelle out of the way. I was obviously offended.

"Boo-hoo! Whatever will I do? GO TO HELL, COLONEL SANDERS!" The girl was being super dramatic and imitating Nick. But, I loved it. Nick could be an ass, and I was always happy to hear someone else call him out! Rochelle and I laugh, and it makes Nick steam over with anger.

"I can't believe you used to be a con-artist." Rochelle joked, clearly shocked at how he got so many women to fall for him. To be honest, me too.

We tried talking it over, we tried trading some ammo, but they just weren't very open to the idea. What really struck me was the fact the biker door mentioned vampires. That was where Nick drew the line.

"Lower the goddamn bridge so we can drive our goddamn car across!" Nick was fuming at this point. Honestly, it was pretty funny.

"Is there any of you five who isn't an asshole?" The biker dude tried to get us to lighten up. It wasn't working, especially when you call us assholes. Just because Nick is one, doesn't mean we all are.

"I'm telling ya for the last goddamn time, LOWER THE DAMN BRIDGE, you greasy, vest-wearing monkey!" I could practically see the rage coming from the biker man.

"GO TO HELL SUIT!" Nick was getting ready to climb up the bridge himself to kill him. We weren't about to let that happen.

"Hey! We don't do that to people. I don't care if you don't like them. We don't kill the living!" I talk to Nick, and place my hand directly in front of his chest, stopping him from moving. He was aggravated, but I was willing to deal with his whining than losing another healthy human.

"If we get the gas from the other side, will you help us lower it?" Rochelle asks, being much more polite than Nick could have ever dreamed about being. They all nodded and we began to form a plan.

"See Nick? You should try being nice sometimes." Nick just rolled his eyes and gathered his belongings. Or better yet, what was left of his belongings.

We headed to the other side. It looked very deserted, whoever managed to get across the bridge before it was raised, were lucky. It seemed like most people made it out of the town.

"Through this park!" Coach says, leading us with his double barrel shotgun. We followed the path through the little town. There were several stores along a street, scrawling with zombies. That, none of us liked.

We searched through several rooms and buildings, occasionally finding lockers stocked with adrenaline shots, pain killers, health kits, flashlights, and even weapons. This was one of CEDA's first outposts when the first outbreak happened. They had several newer posters we hadn't seen in Georgia, meaning that new information had been obtained.

"Do you think we can trust these people? And that...guy?" Rochelle asks, as we tread farther towards the alley.

"What's the matter, sweetie? Ya playin' hard to get now?" Nick says, clearly observing the way she had presented herself towards the man.

"Wow, I'm not even gonna comment." Rochelle laughs it off and Nick being a jackass. It seemed to be a routine.

"Look, there are probably ten guys left on the planet. You and Kelsey aren't getting any younger." Nick smirked, but we let it roll off our backs.

"I don't know, the biker guy was better looking than you." Rochelle pops off. I was actually shocked she said that, considering she mostly kept to herself.

We continued to look for any and all supplies. Only finding scraps of CEDA supplies. As we got around the roundabouts of cars, we did find something none of us expected to find.

"Oh my god, is that a-"

"Witch? I think so, but she's in a wedding dress..." Coach commented.

"The dress, the crying...it brings back some bad memories." Nick actually sounded sincere for once. I might have seen a bit of a tear slip down his cheek. The man has feelings!

"You think she's crying cause she got left at the alter? Man, that's a shitty thing to do." Ellis whispered to me. I felt bad for her, but she is infected. And we most certainly don't have a cure nor a vaccine. We simply can't help her.

"Shhh!" Coach looked to Ellis, "does anyone see the wedding cake?" Out of all things to be worried about, he's worried about eating.

"I'm taking this as a sign, Kelsey..." As Ellis gets down on one knee, he slips and hits the boom box behind him. The witch screams and runs towards him, completely enraged. The music was so loud, I couldn't hear my own thoughts.

"NO! JESUS, NO THANK YOU!" Ellis tries to turn the music down, but there's a million switches and none of them directly states OFF.

"I'VE CHANGED MY MIND! I DO NOT WANT TO GET MARRIED!" Ellis was running in circles, running from the witch.

"ELLIS!!" I yelp, hitting the witch several times before she collapsed into Ellis.

"Honeymoon's over, bitch." Nick says, putting the final bullet in her brain. He tucked the pistols in his back pocket, smearing the blood on his face, unknowingly.

"Let's get in the safe room, y'all. I'm tired."

"Yeah, tired of your bullshit." It's not Nick unless he's an ass.


	8. The Passing: Underground

"I hear there's a stock car museum in New Orleans." Rochelle mentions, breaking the ice.

"Get outta here! Alright, let's get a move on!" Ellis sprung up and got his health kit, gun, and ammo together. It was probably how we looked when the world was normal, too. Not that is was much of a shocker, considering some of the ends of his stories.

"Coach, we make it to New Orleans, there's a cheeseburger museum!" Rochelle says, pumping Coach up for the journey. We hadn't eaten in two days, and Coach was already feeling the effects of malnutrition. We couldn't do much if we weren't somewhat healthy.

"Oh, in my heart, I'm there already." Coach holds his heart, and reminisces about the last time he had a good meal. Or, a meal for that matter. We needed to find food and soon.

"Yeah, no. I'm good, I don't need a one-liner." Nick was already waiting at the door for us. His. stomach growled, but he seemed to not mind it. Rochelle gathers her stuff, and helps unlock the door.

"I'm missin' Jimmy Gibbs Jr already..." Ellis was obsessed with the car, at this point I was kind of over it. I wouldn't tell him that, though. Especially after what he had told me. We honestly hadn't done much, other than flirt and talk about the situation. I think maybe he's a bit unrealistic, but his confidence in himself and his humor, sure helps aid the treacherous journey.

We kept walking, following the way the roads took us. I don't think any of us had noticed that we were slowly becoming close. Inside jokes were being made, and we truly do care about each other. I mean, countless times we've helped someone after they'd been incapacitated.

"You heard anything about this Under the River tour?"

"Yeah, it's under the water." Coach replies, and we laughed. At least there is someone being happy at this point. It's easy to lose sight of when you're constantly battling for your life.

We went further through the tour, but there wasn't much to see. It was one long pipeline under the ground with a view of dirt, mud, and rust. Not exactly the best museum I've ever been to.

"Wow, what a shithole." Nick says, getting his gun at the ready. There were several zombies throughout the tour. What a terrible place to die. I couldn't imagine becoming one of those things, let alone be in the sewers. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

What came after was much worse. We neared a stairwell that was a few stories, which led to a collapse. The collapse must have happened recently as the sewer was widely visible. The smell was horrendous, making Rochelle nearly vomit, she wasn't the only one. The sewer had bodies upon bodies, just floating just above the water line. Nevertheless, we had no choice but to go through with it. Swimming in literal shit. This should be great...

My legs were almost completely submerged, and I could feel the water seep into my clothes. A shower sounds like a good idea right now. Nick was obviously uncomfortable, as he was trying to cover his nose, and avoid looking down at the water. Which we all knew was basically inevitable. His mouth was running 90 miles a minute, and as his voice raised...

Hoards came hurdling from the lower end of the tunnel, making us all jump. The sudden alarm going off, and the sound of Nick's complaining about sanitation must have led to this.

"RUN!" Ellis yells, leading the way to the safe room. He was actually a speedy sprinter. Maybe he did track in high school? Something must put some fire under your ass to run like that...like not getting torn to shreds by some infected.

"Goddamn, this saferoom had better have some water. This is disgusting." Nick tries to wipe the sewage from his suit, which was one white. Too bad, the zombie apocalypse doesn't make time for fashionistas.


	9. The Passing: Port

"You guys came back!" The man with a dress suit had said, as if we weren't going to hold up our end of the deal. Who knew getting a bridge lowered would be so hard?

"I'm Louis," the tan skinned man with the suit introduced himself, along with his friends.

"This is Zoey," the woman who Ellis had talked to before, "and this is Francis." The biker man had such a ill-fitting name. He looked more like a Tony, if you ask me.

We take some time to get ourselves introduced, and they listen. They seemed to be pretty close, as if they had done some wild shit that bonded them together. It kind of reminded me of our little group of misfits. The gambler who can't be nice, the football coach who only likes food, the journalist who just needed a little money, the cowboy who always liked guns, and then there's me. Five completely different people with five completely different lives. If this had never happened, we would have never known each other.

"If we go down this elevator, we should be able to get the stray gas cans around the area!" Coach informs us all, and we follow behind. I was nervous. Things could go wrong, and they probably were. I was thinking about my family, and Jace. I hadn't erased him from memory, though I tried to forget about the incident, I couldn't.

"Lets go," I say, "3...2...1!" I yell, and we split off into groups of two, figuring if we cover more ground whilst covering each other things would move along a bit swifter.

The first can was fairly easy to get. Ellis filled the tank, but it turned on with a loud humming sound. There were infected coming at us from every angle imaginable.

"Oh shit...not again!" Coach yelled, putting the second and third gas cans in the generator.

"Maybe we like another four or five?" Nick asks, checking the fuel tank meter on the generator. Why did these things take so much damn gas?

Coach got the fourth, I got the fifth, Ellis got the sixth, Rochelle got the seventh and Nico got the eighth.

"Last one!" Nick was pouring the gas can into the generator, as a huge tank was coming our way. He had muscles the size of two Toyota cars, with a very small head. He was roaring and groaning like we had done something to piss him off, and he picked up solid concrete from the street and began to throw it at us.

"Let's get the hell outta here, what'd ya say?" Coach laughs, and Zoey begins to lower the bridge. We get back in the car, and Ellis swoons for a moment, before remember the big ass tank making its way for us.

"Good luck!"

We were going to need it.


	10. All Roads Lead Somewhere

We had been on the highway for nearly an hour. Ellis talked about how much he had missed the car and driving it. I will admit, he was much happier when he had complete control of the car.

NIck had been complaining about how annoying they three of them were to work with. How bitchy Zoey was, and so forth.

Coach was cleaning everyone's guns and melee weapons, whilst staying pretty silent for the most part. I guess enough had been said, he couldn't really say much else.

Rochelle has been writing in her journal, still managing to do her job. She obviously wasn't getting paid or expecting to get paid for that matter. She was a hard worker, and it showed. She seemed like a very committed person, even in a zombie apocalypse.

On occasion, Ellis would have to swing around crowded parts of the interstate. But, there was never too many. But, considering the evacuation headed south, the highways were getting more dense and Ellis wasn't able to totally thrash through big semi trucks and cars.

"Hey y'all, I think we might have a problem..."

"What do you mean?" Nick asks, slightly waking up from his brief nap. Turns out, killing the infected was not easy. Physically, it was exhausting. Slashing, hacking, and smacking were pretty round on the body and muscles. Coach was getting cramps from the excess work, and is losing energy. The last meal we had together was six granola bars, with only a single bar left.

"All I'm sayin' is I am NOT leaving Jimmy Gibbs Jr behind." Ellis said, crossing his arms in front of him. He was very stubborn, but to the point of him losing his life was not a good thing.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this car can't drive over twenty miles of parked cars. Looks like we're walking."


	11. Dark Carnival: Highway

"Whispering Oaks! I haven't seen that place since I was a kid."

"Great. Now we can die there as adults." Nick scoffs, and cocks his gun. At least he was ready for the hardships of going somewhere on foot.

The road looked long, treacherous, and dangerous. I felt weak, and out of breath. Someone must have noticed when I went pale in the face.

"Kel? You okay?" The words sounded fuzzy, like they weren't even being said by someone. I couldn't see five feet in front of me, and my palms were sweaty, and my knees gave out.

I could feel myself slipping, and I started falling to the ground. I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything around me.

"Hey, hey, hey...it's okay. I got you..." Nick says, catching me before my head could hit the ground. After a few minutes, I could see straight and stand on my own. Nick helped me up, still holding up with his arms.

"I'm fine, really." I try to explain, but neither Ellis or Nick would listen. The rest of the way to the fairgrounds, they had their eyes on me the entire trip. It made me self-conscious, and they probably could tell.

We walked through the cars, on the cars, around the cars, and avoided confrontation with infected. Stealthy options were the only option. If there was no abundant excuse to trigger a heard, we weren't going to take such a risk. High risk, no reward.

"The highway's blocked for miles, let's cut through this hotel." Rochelle cleared her throat, and let the way. She held her axe that she had hung onto since the last hotel. She cleaned it everyday and took better care of the damn axe than herself and her health.

The hotel was absolutely swarmed with infected. There were plenty of cars, too. They still were active, meaning if you shot them, they would sound.

"Don't shoot the cars." Nick says, crouching around the perimeter. Crouching seemed to help with detection. So, we kept it up. Nick lead us around the outskirts of the motel and down the deep slope.

"Woah!" Coach yelped, as he slipped down the mountain. At the bottom, was some slight flooding of the flowing river. It looked like a car had crashed when the outbreak started. 

"You okay?"

"He's fine. The cheeseburgers probably softened the fall." Nick laughed, but Coach was not amused. I will say, it was pretty funny. Though I might have offended Coach. 

"Toughen up, the safe house is just around the corner."


	12. Dark Carnival: Fairgrounds

We had been at Whispering Oaks for a while at this point. We were running on little to no sleep, Nick was starting to show his tiredness by acting out and lashing back at us when things weren't looking bright for us.

The safe room was comforting, but it barely gave us breathing room between the five of us.

"Let's just get on with it, I guess." I said, grabbing a health kit that was presumably left behind by a potential survivor. There was also an allotment of grenades, pills, ammunition, and adrenaline.

With that, we were out the door and on our way to whatever we saw next. Which just so happened to be an amusement park. A fairground...more or less.

Coach and Ellis made remarks about the state of the park, mostly from their childhood memories. I'm sure they would ride the coasters and little games if it weren't for the undead roaming around the world.

It had crossed my mind that we could be some of the last living, breathing people on the planet. I was scared, that if we failed at surviving, we would be the end of the human race. Just like that.

If the infected were to survive, they would rule the world until death comes knocking. If they don't eat, then they will slowly decay and decompose back into the earth. Maybe one day, even in a million years, there will be normal life again. Maybe that's too far-fetched, but it was the one thing I could keep hope for.

"Keep up now! We need to stay together." Coach was, unironicly, coaching us. Things were going okay, for once. This area at the fair was pretty clear, only a few infected here and there.

"Holy shit, KIDDING LAND!" Ellis was cheering, taking the shotgun off of his shoulder, including the strap. I grinned, and Coach said something under his breathe. I didn't know what he had said, but it was probably something stupid about clowning around.

"You're not serious?" Nick dropped his stance with his pistols and rolled his eyes. He really didn't enjoy having fun. Why not? We all are going to die. It's just a matter of time.

"Dead ASS, man!" 

"Okay...just one ride." I agreed to go with Ellis. Nick seemed to be slightly angry. Considering what we were doing, I'd be angry if teammates ran off to ride some kiddie ride. But, it wasn't just a kiddie ride. It was the first bit of fun I'd had since the outbreak. Ellis was very sweet, and hasn't done anything but help me. I couldn't help but feel in debt to him.

"Thanks for being with me, Kel." Ellis smiled and grabbed my hand. Jace wasn't a very lovey-dovey lover. He used a different expression of love; words. A part of Jace was still in my heart. After all, we never broke up. He died.

"Ah, shucks. You might make me blush, dude."

"Dude? Haha, you sound like we're just friends. I-is that what this is?" Ellis was internally freaking out, but he tried to hide how he felt. He wasn't the best one when it came to havng a poker face. Nick, however, I don't think anyone could know what was really going on his brain. That is, until he speaks his mind.

"I'm not sure...but I do like you. It's just-" Ellis was super special and you wouldn't find a guy like him anytime soon.

"Nick. How? He's such an ass!"

"I have been seeing the way he looks at you, like you're a piece of meat he wants to eat. Speaking of, me and my buddy Keith tried to sneak a couple squirrels into the kitchen at a hotel once. We ended up deep fryin' em! They was good until the fun police came and took us to jail. What a day that was..."

Nick looks at me like that? I had always felt like someone was watching me, but Nick? 

"There you are, now let's get this show on the road." Nick walked up on Ellis and I jumped. I was processing the information.

"Oh! Ellis, keep your nose out of other peoples' business. Especially when it involves me." Nick scoffs at Ellis, and then winks at me. I gave Ellis a reassuring hug, and he seemed to calm down after that.

Ellis stands up, but slips to the button on one of the rides. The alarms sounded and the ride began. There were infected from every angle at this point. As soon as the gate opened, we fled and headed to the breaker. 

"TURN THAT SHIT OFF!" Coach yelled, and managed to be the first to the box. In the corner of my eye, I spot the dimly-lit safe room.

"Guys! This way!" I shout and spout out a few rounds, leaving the infected dead on the concrete. 

This carnival sucked.


	13. Dark Carnival: Coaster

"Well, I wasn't expecting to go through the tunnel of love, let alone with zombies win it." Nick says, clearing his throat as he uses the axe to chop a spitter's head off. 

The tunnel was long, winding, full of infected and infested with hunters. It was like the people around here were destined to become hunters. And they were not the fun attraction.

We navigated through several supply rooms and found an array of adrenaline shots, medicines, and first aid kits. There were several IV bags, and many unused hospital gowns. Which was very unusual since there hadn't been any strong sign of a CEDA station near the area. Only Midnight Riders who were only performing around the country to calm people down, but it only gathered the infected with the sound. Hadn't they realized sound is a key factor?

"Damn, I'm glad that's over. There is a reason I don't let my daughter in these things." Coach laughed, and I smiled. Maybe we would all see our family again. Or at least some part of our family. 

There was a loud buzzing above us, and when I looked up I saw a helicopter. To make sure I wasn't seeing things, I yelled to the group and we decided to follow it. Obviously, they were looking for more survivors.

"Let's go! Maybe they got some room up in there for us!" Coach cheers, his eyes full of hope for some sort of rescue. It was good we could still feel hope, but something seemed fishy.

"How many more times are we going to keep going like this? I don't know if I have this hit in me, guys." Rochelle stops, heavily breathing and grunting. She looked like she had been through the ringer. 

"Ro, don't say that. We're going to get through this-" I put my shotgun down, and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. She snaps my arm away, and laughs.

"Yeah? You really believe that? CEDA was MURDERING innocent people! What do you think they'll do with us? Let us live in peace with them? No, Kelsey! If you think that then you're delusional!"

"Rochelle, I really think you should calm down." Nick tries to get closer to Ro, but she only backs up from him. I could see her shoulders and arms getting tense with every movement. Nick finally gets her to stop talking, and Coach helps her get her breathing back to normal. Ellis and I watched in agony. The utter torment was horrible, feeling so lost in the world. Not knowing if there will be a future, never truly trusting where you are or who you're with. It could really break you down in ways you couldn't imagine.

"Let's just start the damn coaster." Rochelle uttered, and we gathered our plan. We had to start the coaster in order to get to the safe room at the end. There was no other way to get there unless you were to ride it, or follow it. Rochelle and Nick were both going to follow the coaster as it did its round, and cover Ellis, Coach, and my own back. I was grateful, as we got to live out our Zombieland dreams. Besides, who knew when we would get another chance to ride a roller coaster during a zombie apocalypse?

"Holy shit, watch out!" Ellis yelled, aiming his hunting rifle at a hunter that was nearing the side of the coaster. We turned back to check on Rochelle and Nick, to make sure nothing was wrong. Occasionally, a jockey would ride Nick and a hunter would pin Ro, but nothing was worse that being puked on by a boomer during a corkscrew.

"Well, there ya go! Did you guys have fun?" Coach gets out of his seat, and gathers his bag of guns, grenades, and general zombie survival essentials. You get the point.

"Hell yeah! We should do that again sometime, huh?" Ellis smirked at me, and I nodded. Letting me out of the roller coaster seating before himself. What a gentlemen.

"We should get some rest for once, the safe room looks cozy." Nick says, searching for an excuse to relax. Though I didn't know why, I caught on that something was wrong. Nick never would stop for anything. Unless it was for money or guns.

"So... now you wanna take a power nap? I see how it is." Coach rolled his eyes, knowing damn well something was up. I just didn't know exactly what it was.

"What? We don't know when the helicopter is coming back? Why risk it and wait?" I ask him, reloading my shotgun, and putting it aside on the table beside me.

"Because if I do, I'll die."


	14. Dark Carnival: Barns

"What? Nick-"

"Just help me, then we can keep moving." Nick was insistent, and we rushed to the only table in the room.

I nod in shock. Nick takes his jacket and button-up off, reveling the protruding open wound spread across his stomach. It was about 4 to 5 inches deep, meaning I would need a large needle and an even larger amount of patience. He clenched over in pain, only letting more blood ooz out of the area.

"Okay, just lay here on the table." Coach and Ellis moved the ammunition and the guns away, making room for my surgical tools. I didn't have nearly any, but this was a simple stitch and ditch. 

"Just get on with it!" Nick yelled, heavily breathing. I asked Ellis and Coach for my supplies and called them out one by one as needed. Nick kept squirming around, and he needed to stop.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and spoke softly but sternly, "Nick, you have to stop moving. I'm only going to make it worse if you don't. Try anything, I dare you." 

He settled down, and adjusted to the coldness of the table, bare with nothing but his torn dress pants and worn out leather shoes. In this moment, he was vulnerable. He was calm, even though his face would show you otherwise.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Nick scoffed, looking me dead in the eye. His eyes were a perfect emerald green color. It matched perfectly with his dark, brunette hair and pale skin.

"Aren't you?" I smirked, cleaning the area with antiseptic wipes. He winces in pain, and I try to make it quick. I clean the needle, and begin stitching the skin back together. Nick puts his hand on the upper part of my arm for support against the pain. He was strong, but managed not to hurt me. I honestly felt bad for causing him pain. Even if he could be a pain in my ass.

"Thank you," Nick smiled, as I bandaged the area with gauzes, "you didnt have to help me, you know."

"Of course I did. We're a team, and all we have is each other."

"That's not really why you did this, though." Nick was smiling, as he began to put his button-up back on. I threw away the bloody wipes and got my surgical supplies back together.

"I'm sorry, are you implying something?" I turned around, officially registering what had just been said. 

"Am I wrong, Doctor Kelsey?" Nick gave me a look, the kind of look a drunk guy at a bar would give the female bartender. The your-mine look. 

"Don't call me that, Nick." I brushed his comments off as small talk. A part of me had thought about if we are the last humans alive, it is our duty to mankind to procreate.

"You can't lie to yourself forever, Kel. I see the way you look at me. It's just like the way the infected look at us. Our flawless, healthy, juicy skin." I held my tongue, for what seemed like an hour. Damn, he was seductive. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." I continued to pretend like I didn't know what he was referring to. Especially after he helped me and saved my life countless times.

"Admit it, if given the chance, wouldn't you like to get a piece of me?" He smiled, taking my hand in his, leaving his upper-chest buttons undone, revealing his toned muscles. He came closer to me, breathing down my neck, leaving me wanting more.

"Nick-" He was practically inches away from my lips, before he began to lean in.

"Y'all almost ready? What's takin' so lon- oh. Oh. Sorry man." Ellis walked in, and pulled away. I smiled at Ellis and walked towards my bag, getting my guns tighter in the process.

"Your loss." Nick finished getting dressed, and grabs his AR-15. 

"Now, we got shit to do." Coach came in, ready to get out of the damn carnival. I was ready, and kept my thoughts to myself. Though, I knew I could confide in Rochelle, as she was also single.

"Get through the barns, then we'll be on our way to those lights."

"Looks like the Midnight Riders were set to perform here! That's why we've been seeing those big lights! They do have the biggest light show a concert's ever seen!"

"That's going to be the thing that gets their attention!" Nick cheered, for the first time in a while. He actually smiled, in genuine light.

We made our way through the mazes of vendors and booths, making our way through a literal barn. Then, up to the rooftops of several of the nearby barns. We were careful, knowing that one slip could be the last thing we'd ever do. 

"Shit, we gotta open the gate before we can get through! Damn, this better not be loud." Coach says, before turning the obnoxiously loud alarm box on. Within seconds, infected were filing up along the walls, just crowding around us.

We all gathered in a circle, to keep all sides protected. I seemed to work, nobody had a blind spot and we all were killing together very quickly.

"To the safe room! RUN!"

We ran, as fast as we could. Luckily, the safe room was just right around the corner. The infected were jumping from rooftops, following us from behind, and spontaneously jumping from random places around us.

I was so focused on running, that I hadn't realized where Nick was. He was right behind me, literally two seconds ago.

"Let's go! Get yo' asses in here!" I hear Coach yell, holding the door to the safe room open, whilst Ellis is shooting and preventing the incoming infected from entering. 

I stand in utter shock. Nick wasn't in the safe room, and neither was I. Nick may not have made it, but what kind of person would I be if I didn't at least make sure of it first?

"Nick? NICK? Where are you?" I screamed, shooting in between phrases. I couldn't just stay out here, in the optimal place for a...

"HUNTER'S GOT KELSEY!" His voice. There he was. He came running towards me, guns blazing. The hunter had torn through my shirt, and had managed to tear my skin up very badly. 

"Nick, thank God. I thought you were gone." He helped me up, just after he was able to shoot the hunter that had me pinned to the ground.

"Looks like I'm the one doing the saving." Nick smirked, and grabbed my shoulder. We ran to the safe room, and locked the door.

"Damn, we gotta do better."


	15. Dark Carnival: Concert

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Rochelle asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Well, we know that there was supposed to be a Midnight Riders concert. But, it never happened. What if the stuff is still there?" I fill in, but I was nervous. What if it was there? Would we even know if it worked? What if nobody comes?

"We should check it out, though. You can never be too careful..." I add, I was thinking about what would happen if we didn't take the chance. We would just have to coke up with another plan. And what if that one didn't work either?

"You would know."

"Okay, so we go down there and inspect. Then what?" Rochelle steps in, ignoring what snarky comment Nick had just blurted out.

"You're missing the point, babe," Nick says, sliding his hand down my back, "we're the ones having a concert." He made me lose my breath, I froze. He's unpredictable, mysterious, and seems to have a dark past. It made me wonder...

"Two things are wrong with that statement; I'm not your babe, and how the hell do you know how to operate stage equipment?"

"I don't." Nick laughs, but nobody else laughs. Shocking.

We gathered our things and headed down the indoor carnival passage. It then turned out in to the open, outdoor stadium. There were a few random infected wondering about the stadium and even on the stage. Coach took the stage and turned the microphone and sound box on.

Ellis and I headed to set the stage lighting. It actually wasn't as confusing as I thought out would be. Ellis was acting weird, and it struck me like a bolt of lightning...

"Hey, Ellis..." I had been leaning against the table, containing a variety of buttons to push. I wanted to talk to Ellis, about what was going on with Nick and I.

"Hey, Kel." Ellis was watching my back, incase something tried to attack me while I was figuring out how the lights system worked or better yet which button turned it on.

"Are you...doing okay?" I stopped what I was doing, and turned to face him. He snapped him heard around as I spoke.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" He scratched the back of his neck, like he was anxious. I felt bad, as I had kissed him, and gained some sort of feeling for Nick. I had been toying with two boys in the apocalypse. Ellis started at me for a moment before stepping closer to me.

"You know what? Kel, there is something wrong. There is. I'm not real sure how to say these things, but here goes. I care about ya, and that Nick guy, he's bad news." His face had been full of smiles and positivity, but this time he was washed over with concern, and genuine love.

"Bad news? What are you saying?" I ask, wanting to know whatever Nick had told him. He was right, Nick never told anyone what he did before all of this, but something spoke louder than words. He was the most secretive of the group.

"I'm sayin' that you don't really know him that well. Before you say anything, know this." Ellis stopped and walked towards me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I knew what he was doing, yet I couldn't move a muscle to stop it.

Our lips touch, and I take my hands around his face, feeling the stubble of his beard. I ran my fingers through his hair, causing his cap to fall off, not that he cared. Our bodies shifted together, I could feel his hands wandering around my body. Not that I minded it.

"Y'all, we got a concert to start!" Coach said through the microphone down by the stage. Ellis and I move apart, and laugh. He brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear, and kisses my forehead.

"You heard the man."

Boy, that was good. Not just him, or the kiss, but the feeling of being loved by someone like that. It left me feeling warm inside, and like the way my life was before the world fell to shit. Maybe there is something out there...

I pressed the on button for the lights and walked down the stairs of the stadium, and was caught off guard hearing the swarms of infected screaming their way to us. The stage lit up with fireworks of all kinds, Coach was right. The light show was amazing, too bad we were all too busy killing zombies to notice.

"Did you see that? The helicopter is coming! They saw us!" Rochelle exclaimed, dodging the attacks of a incoming infected. The helicopter circled the concert arena, and began to stop at the right side of the stadium. We ran to helicopter, avoiding being jumped on in the process.

"We made it." Coach says, catching his breath from running. He smiles, and everyone else followed suit.

We made it.


	16. Flying High

We had been on the helicopter for a little over three hours. It was piloted by a single man, he didn't speak much. He didn't even give us his name. I thought it was suspicious, but kept it to myself.

I sat beside Rochelle and Ellis, watching Nick sitting directly across from me. I tried to look away, but every time I stared, he would be grinning. That stupid, shit-eating grin. I sigh, and slide down in the seat. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't emotionally confused. The kiss Ellis and I had, was on repeat. My head couldn't control itself from the single recurring event. I kept going back to when Nick almost kissed me, but didn't. I still remember the exact feeling of his breath and the way he made me feel so dangerous.

When I look up, I see Nick's face to be strained and worried. He had his eyes fixated on something, or someone.

"The pilot!" I turned around and the pilot had blood coming from his mouth, and groaning like he was one of the infected. He must have been bitten and didn't tell us.

Before anyone had time to process anything, Nick gathered his pistol and shot the pilot in the head. With that, he took control of the helicopter. We were falling, and fast.

"Nick, let me! I know more about these things than you, just trust me man!" Ellis rushed to the front of the helicopter and aided in the fall. We all embraced for the impact, and Ellis tried his best to soften the fall. 

The helicopter was spinning in circles, and we were being thrown around the helicopter. It was tossing us around everywhere, my arms and legs taking a beating from smashing against the metal walls. It felt like I was being crushed by several cinder blocks with seventy pound weights.

My stomach churned as the helicopter slowly faded through my memory, leaving me with nothing but darkness. 

Darkness.


	17. Swamp Fever: Plank Country

My head felt like it had been battered, it was severely aching. I couldn't move most of my body, only turning my head to the side to see what everyone was doing, or if they were even alive.

I could see Nick, and Coach picking up rubble to get Ellis out. Nick looked like he hadn't even been with us. He only had a single patch of blood on his head. Coach, looked like he was limping, and Ellis had blood running out of his arms. My vision was going blurry, and I could feel myself losing consciousness once again. 

"Oh no, Kelsey!" Nick's voice was barely audible, but I could still hear him. I felt myself waking up, and tried to speak.

"Y-you're head..."

"Kel, can you hear me?" Nick place his hands under my neck, checking for any severe injuries. I tried to sit up, but the searing pain in my left shoulder, caused by the protruding shard of metal in my shoulder.

"Oh my God, I-"

"Listen, you have to stay awake. Let me help you." Ellis came over to me, looking concerned and tried to pull the shard out. I yelled before he could even touch it. 

"Stop! If you pull it out, I could bleed out." I explain, and tried leaning against the rubble behind me, but it only causes me more pain. It felt like someone was sawing through my shoulder, and I let out a scream. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It went in my shoulder and was out of the other side.

"Holy shit..." I hear Coach mutter, as I was heavily breathing. I felt like crying, and let my head hit the back of the rubble. I was going to have to get it out, before any other nerve damage was done. I needed my supplies and the cooperation of my teammates.

"Okay, this is how this has to go. Coach, get in my backpack and get towels, bandages, alcohol, and wipes. Rochelle, I need you to keep Coach safe, go with him." With that, Rochelle followed Coach with her gun at the ready.

"You two are the strongest, so I need one of you to pull the metal out." Nick and Ellis looked at each other, worriedly. They weren't surgeons. But they were going to have to do.

"One of you need to keep me from knocking the other out." Ellis laughs, and bends down to see me. I look him in the eye, and he speaks.

"I'll do the honors. Kel, just know it's going to hurt like a bitch." Nick scoffs, and then gets adjusted for yanking it out. I was counting and distracting myself from the situation. I thought about my future, about getting my degree, my graduation, and my boyfriend. All things that I had lost, will never have, and won't ever be attending.

"1...2...3!" Ellis counted down, grabbing my hand. I took a deep breath, and got ready. Nick jerked as hard as he could, I could tell he was trying to be gentle. I gritted my teeth, hoping to forget about the surge of pain running through my shoulder. I could feel every sharp edge, curve, and slit as it came out, slowly. It was agonizing, and I was screaming. The type of scream that would make you think about someone dying.

"It's not budging, Kel." Nick said softly, and stops pulling out. I was crying, and I'm sure it wasn't pretty. The pain was searing through me, like my internal organs were lit on fire and burnt to a crisp.

"J-just get it out. P-please. I can't do it anymore, Nick." I was sobbing, looking at the half protruding end of the metal rubble. Nick, took a deep breath and tore the metal out.

"Nick, thank you." Ellis had came to apply pressure to the area, making the bleeding come to a halt. I could hear the group chatting, something about moving and to just put me on something that could roll. I rolled my eyes, and let Ellis help me stand up. He was pulling most of my weight, in fear I might not have control of my body.

"Stop, I'll be fine." I stood up, a little dizzy at first. But, after a second or so I was managing to walk a bit better. I shot the group a decent smile and grabbed my guns, and trotted along. Like nothing was wrong.

"You know, if you need a break you can just ask." Coach offered, but I turned it down. If we stayed anywhere for too long, the infected coupled swarm us. We all knew that wasn't a good idea.

"You got it." I smiled, reassuringly. I was helping the group out by mainly looking out for lurkers, especially smokers. They seem to hide in high places, prime time for attacking. Boomers seemed to have the best hiding places, despite being so large in size. However, the best hiders were the hunters. Quiet, fast, and were very capable of killing its prey.

"Ah, the safe room!" Rochelle sighed, and ran into the room. I was the last one in, and locked the door tightly behind myself. 

"Okay, it's getting darker outside by the minute. And you are in no shape to be walking like this." Rochelle spoke softly, but sternly. She looked around the room, finding things for me to sleep on for the night.

"Ro, I'm okay. Seriously, its not that big a deal." I tried to reason with her, but she wasn't having it. She insisted I stay, while her and Coach go out for 'supplies.' I knew what she was doing. She was the only person I had talked to about my feeling for the two boys. She was trying to get me two decide before things got any more complicated.

"Listen, you don't have to babysit me. I'm fine." I smiled, adjusting myself against the wall, with a make-shift pillow and blanket. I didn't realize how cold I was until Nick slid down the wall beside me, taking his white coat off. He gently put it around me, and brushed it off. Ellis was busy cleaning his guns, and taking a mental inventory to notice the moment.

"You need babysitting, baby." Nick smirked, and looked at me. 

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't see that remark coming." I smiled, looking down at my lap. I had so many questions about Nick. There were so many things I didn't know. 

"What's your story, Nick? Not the bullshit story, the real one." I ask, as he brushes his fingers through his hair. His face went sour, and I could sense something touchy.

"It's...complicated. And just not interesting. You probably wouldn't want to know." Nick tried to get me to stop prying. But that only made me want to learn more.

"But I do. You can trust me. You know that."

"Well, I was a gambler. And a big player with a con-artist style of interest in women. I was almost married four times, but left with millions after leaving them at the altar. But, I wasn't doing it for the money. I needed the money, but it wasn't so I could buy every color Lamborghini that existed. My...sister had stage-four leukemia. The treatments weren't cheap either." His face lit up when he talked about his sister. Sure, he did terrible things. But in the end, he was just doing it to keep his sister alive.

"Nick, I-" I felt bad for asking, as he was clearly upset. 

"It's not your fault, there's no cure." 

"Actually, I think I might have known your sister." I was thinking back to my days at the hospital. Or my last ones, at least.

"What?"

"Yeah, she signed up for the clinical trials that my team had put together. I remember a girl with green eyes who once had brown hair, identical to yours..."

"Small world. Kelsey, what happened to her?" He took my hand, and listened to every word like his life depended on it.

"Well the last time I had seen her, was the day I met you. I had checked out of my shift at Mercy Hospital and the last patient I checked was her. Lyndsey. The machines were showing a clear flatline. It was another second before the doctor came in and announced her time of death. But, then a bunch of injured people came in, with rabid fevers and blood loss, they never got a chance to call you..." I placed my hand on his stressed shoulder. He was tense. 

"She's just...dead? That's all I had left..." I had never seen Nick cry, he let himself feel vulnerable.

"Nick, it's going to be okay. She found peace. She didn't become one of those things. You can have peace knowing that she's in a better place; a place where there is no hunger, no fear, no worry, a land where there is no sacrifice. Just happiness."

"That's where I believe my family is. My sister, parents, and Jace..."

Nick looked at me, solemnly. We had both lost so much. But we knew we had each other and the group. The group as we know it had become closer than ever. We were all willing to help each other out in times of need.

We could count on each other. That's what mattered.


	18. Swamp Fever: Swamp

"Rise and shine!" Rochelle cheers, and pours a little water on my face to wake me up.

"Do that again, I dare you." I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sighed. This was going to be another long day. But at least I didn't have a piece of metal in me.

"Not a morning person, are ya?" Nick joked, but I didn't find it funny. I rolled my eyes, and got myself ready. Mentally, more than physically. 

We stepped out into the swamp. The real, wet, swampy swamp. I felt my shoes fill with murky water, and the warm water wet my pant-legs. It was disgusting. I couldn't fathom how people could live in such filth. Not only the feeling of the murky water, but the smell. It was utterly horrific.

"You good back there?" Coach yelled, doing fine amongst the waters. Ellis was managing and Rochelle was holding her breath and taking breaks but Nick and I were struggling. I couldn't help but stop every few miles and vomit. It was the worst experience of my life. We couldn't keep our faces from showing it, either. Just ew.

We were getting out of the water, and finally on to dryer territory. The trees were high, and the leaves were swaying low. This part of the swamp was actually kind of pretty. You could see the sky, winding itself between the treetops.

"Is that a dead army official?" Rochelle asks, horrified at the sight of a soldier hanging from a tree. He seemed to have used his parachute, but couldn't get any father down. Poor guy. Coach doesn't say much, but urges everyone to keep moving. If there was going to be an escape from the swamp, it probably wasn't going to happen more than once.

With every step, it felt like we were just wandering in circles of the trees and the water. Time slipped away, and just like that, things were going okay. That is, until we saw the downed plane. Not just any plane, but a commercial airliner.

"Oh my God! What's a plane doing in the swamp?" Rochelle looked like she had seen a ghost. But she kept her feet moving. Though her face never changed. She looked so overwhelmed and in emotional turmoil. But who could blame her?

As we got ourselves in the plane, in hopes of any survivors, we looked and found dead corpses. Everyone was dead. People who were like us once. With hopes and dreams, wishes of being somewhere with their loved ones. I took a deep breath, and we opened the door of the plane. The alarm sounded, and we ran as fast as we could through the high waters. I took an adrenaline shot and felt twice as fast as I ran. It was empowering and made me feel like I could do anything. Until it wore off.

"I can see the lights, we're almost there!" I shouted, signaling the near safe room to the group. They were quite a bit behind me, and I could no longer see them. I shouted behind myself, and decided it would be best to hide from the infected. Drawing anymore attention to myself could be bad.

"Where's Kelsey?" Coach asks, catching his breath.

"I thought she was with you?" Ellis looked to Nick who was confused.

"Do you see her with me? Exactly!" 

"I'm right here. Sorry, I didn't want to attract a horde. Let's get to the safe room." I came out from hiding and spoke. With that said, we rushed to close the door.

"Kelsey, what the hell was that?" Nick shouted at me, as he sat his guns down. He looked pissed, like I had done something wrong. I knew what he was thinking.

"I didn't try to leave you guys, I was trying to help you. Imagine if we had another horde on our asses, huh?" I explain myself, in a calm manner. I could feel Nick getting a bit closer with every word I spoke.

"That wasn't your call to make!" Nick commented. I looked to Rochelle, who got Ellis and Coach out of the room. Just in time for Nick to drop his temper.

"Then who's was it then?" He put his hand against the wall, resting his weight against it. I could feel his breath on my chest, my heart beating quicker with every passing second. Nick was smiling, with that stupid shit-eating grin.

"What's so funny?" I ask him, and he turns his head. His other hand graces my face, getting the hair out of my eyes. I couldn't help but smile.

"This." 

Nick roughly kisses me, and I don't try to push him away. He was passionate about it, pulling my hips closer to him. One hand graciously holding my head, and the other exploring every curve of my back.

He picked me up and placed me against the wall. He started kissing my neck, and I let out a slight moan. He knew what he was doing, and he knew I was weak. I unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the healing scar I stitched up. He undid my belt and slid my jeans off, it was just the two of us. In a little room, filled with guns. It was blissful and well-awaited. 

"You're a good man, Nick. You shouldn't hide who you really are." I spoke, out of breath. Laying on his bare chest, his hand in mine. I wanted this to last forever. But, I hadn't settled things with Ellis. I needed to tell him.


	19. Swamp Fever: Shantytown

"Shantytown? Really? What a shitty name." Coach remarked, reloading his gun. I think we had gotten more adjusted with the smells and sounds of the swamp. Especially the fucking mosquitoes.

"You're tellin' me. My buddy Keith actually was around here some times as a kid. He would make swamp bombs with the water and mud and he'd throw 'em at trespassers. What a fun dude..." Ellis laughed, reminiscing about the way things were. I needed to find a moment to talk to him about what happened. I don't know who I want. But I did sleep with Nick, and he should know.

Coach kept us going, following the 'road' that went through the little swampy town. Most peoples' houses were wore down, and were probably constantly flooded. We went through the houses, cabins, and some campers for more supplies. There were even a few cars, but they weren't starting. Leaving us with our plan to find some ways out of this murky hell hole.

The steps turned into feet which then led to miles. And we didn't know where we were going. That was what made it worse. Knowing that we didn't know. But, we knew we needed to get to a safe room before sundown again.

"Hey Kelsey, come here for a sec." I slowed down and let her walk to me. She was a little farther back of the walking line up. She was smiling, like she knew something.

"So, you gonna fess up about last night?" Damnit, she knew.

"How did you know?" Rochelle only laughed when I asked her. She was giggling, and blushing more than I had ever seen her. It made me laugh, seeing her occupied with something other than just endlessly walking through the swamp.

"It was obvious to me, 'cause you had told me about the feelings you've been having for the both of them. Speaking of, what are you going to tell Ellis?"

"Who is going to tell Ellis what?" Ellis smiled, and turned around to face us. Rochelle laughed, and caught up with Nick and Coach. Ellis came back to walk with me, and grabbed my hand. He held it like it was his duty to. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Let's split up into teams. This should make finding a saferoom easier. Coach, myself and Nick will be headed east. You two head west. Radio me in, Kel." Rochelle tossed me a walkie, and headed off in the opposing direction.

"Ellis, there's something you should know. But don't freak out, because I'm not even sure what I'm feeling. I don't really know what I want and I don't know what you think-" I was cut off and totally taken aback as Ellis leaned in to kiss me. I felt bad for kissing him back, but at the same time I loved every second.

"Wait..." I pulled away from the kiss. I had to tell him, he deserved to know the truth. He stepped closer to me, and held my hands in front of his chest. He looked deeply into my eyes, and spoke softly.

"Listen, Kelsey. Whatever you need to say, say it. But I need to tell you something. I know you slept with Nick. He got his chance, but let me have mine. You need to see both sides of the story. I love you, Kelsey. And I think I proved that I would die for you on more than one occasion. Trust me." He seemed sincere, and meant well. I smiled, feeling better about him knowing.

"I trust you, Ellis. I really do." I smiled, and he lovingly hugs me. He sweeps me off of my feet and spins me around. He made me feel so magical, and special. He didn't just say things, he meant them. The old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

"Let me give you the best night you've ever had."

Nick was rough, and lustful. But Ellis was gentle and careful, and knew exactly what I wanted. He made me feel something nobody else had ever made me feel.

"Promise me, you'll never let me go." Ellis said, as he took his ball cap off. His eyes never left mine. His hands never leaving my side.

"I promise." I smiled, and leaned in for a kiss. The kiss melted me from the inside out.

He took my shirt off, and I took his. I laughed, as he struggled to undo my bra. I kissed his neck, as he undid his belt. He carefully lifts my body onto the ground, surrounded by beautiful forested trees, but protected by surrounded buildings. I knew we were safe, and I knew that whenever I was near Ellis, I was safe.

"I love you."


	20. Swamp Fever: Plantation

"According to this map, there is a plantation house just north of here. Maybe they have something there?" Coach and Rochelle had found a map from the houses they had checked last night.

"How do we know this house is still there?" Ellis asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"We don't. But, we should at least check it out. Couldn't hurt." Rochelle answered with uncertainty, but definitely had a bit of confidence. I mean, every time we've taken a chance, it's worked out in our favor. Why wouldn't it now?

We wandered through many houses, but these were nice houses. Most of them were large and two-story homes. Eventually leading us around a corner with a huge plantation house. It was white with black accents and extraordinarily large. The front yard alone was a quarter mile or so. It was very beautiful, and looked like it was actually safe.

"Up this scaffolding." Nick suggested, and we all followed. The house looked a bit messy inside but didn't show it on the outside. The floors had collapsed in, and the corridors were filled with ammunition and bombs. Nice.

As we wandered to the back part of the house, I notice a rather weird scene. There was a dead man laying against the white fence, holding a radio. He was completely covered in blood, and seemed to have been ambushed.

"Hey guys, I think I just found our way out." I yelled, smiling as I ran through the yard, through a bush maze and gravel. The man looked very old, but was clearly dead. The radio began to surge with a man's voice coming in and out.

"Hello?"

"Ah, hello there! I ain't heard from nobody out here for a long time! Where are you now?" The man on the other end asks, and to our surprise responded.

"We're at a plantation house." I fill the man in on our situation. We were glad to hear from someone other than the infected screaming at us.

"Okay, just stay right where y'all are. I'll be right out there." The man said, explaining to us that his name was Virgil.

We went back into the house and waited. We scavenged for some materials, getting some health kits, bombs, ammunition, and more weaponry. We could use it all, really. 

We fought through round after round of hordes of infected, until we were finally met with the tank. He picked up huge rocks, and threw them at us like it was nothing. We had been shooting at him for ten minutes, that is until Virgil blew up the gate.

I could feel the warmth of the explosion from afar, and Ellis grabbed my hand. We ran as fast as we could, slashing and killing any infected that got in our way. The boat was within seeing distance. I could tell that we were getting closer.

"RUN! IT'S VIRGIL!" I yelled, and we all ran to the dock to board the boat. The tank was hurling into way towards us, throwing things at us and screaming in pain for every round of ammo we used against him.

The dock was long, and parts of it were sinking underwater within seconds. We were almost on the boat, when I slipped and fell. I managed to stand back up, with the helping hand of Rochelle, and leapt to the boat before Virgil started to sail away. Thank God I made it.

"We made it, y'all."


	21. The Boat Ride

The boat had been sailing along the coast for a few days. Virgil, the man and owner of the boat, saved us from our impending death on the plantation. He let us stay on his boat, and was even planning on helping us get to New Orleans. He was seemingly a good man, who lost his wife to the Green Flu.

The few days we were on the boat, were nice. We weren't worried about fighting. We were just a group of six who were floating on the ocean. It was freeing, and isolating at the same time.

"Looks like we have problem..." Virgil stopped the boat, and came out to talk to us. At this point, we were all worried. Our record of staying with our saviors isn't every long. In fact, the people who rescue us, usually die within a few days.

"No way..."

"I'm almost out of gas and we're almost to a gas station. You go off and get me some gas, and I'll take y'all to New Orleans. Signal me when you've got the gas." Virgil says, and gets back to manning the boat.

We gather our stuff and get ourselves prepared for another trip.


	22. Hard Rain: Milltown

"Signal me when you've got the gas!" Virgil told us, through his boat radio.

"What are we supposed to signal him with?" Nick asks, thinking about how we were going to get back on the boat. Which was necessary to get to New Orleans. Without Virgil, we'd be walking the next few hundred miles on foot.

"The flares are in the gun bag." Ellis said, confidently reloading his gun. There were a few weapons left at the shore, in which we loaded up and put away for safe keeping.

"What gun bag?" Coach asks, realizing the truth. Fuck.

"Fuck! Tell me we didn't forget the guns!" Coach yells, mad at all of us for forgetting such important things. I mentally kicked myself for not double checking our shit.

There was a gas station right off shore, and we made our way to it. We didn't realized it until we were seconds away, but it revealed a flashing sign saying 'no gas' with an arrow pointing to the east saying '2 miles.'

This was going to be a much longer trip than we expected. Not only that, but the fact that it started raining.

The next gas station was 2 miles down the road. But we took many detours through two neighborhoods and a playground, and a yard sale. It was a good thing there were so many landmarks, or else we couldn't find our way back to Virgil.

The walk was long, and the roads were eerily quiet. There was a ambulance left astray in the middle of the abandoned street. We gathered the left over pills, shots, and health kits. Not like anybody else was going to need them.

A couple of minutes later, we could see the signature red door of a safe room as we got closer.

"Safe house ahead!" Coach shouted, and jogged his way up the stairs. He seemed to be pretty happy, considering the situation. We were gasless, but were hoping to find some soon.

We wasted no time and began to head out the back door of the safe room.

Here goes nothing.


	23. Hard Rain: Sugar Mill

The rain seemed to pour, filling the ground with water. The sky had been overcome with the grey undertone of the clouds. The sound of distant thunder told me all I needed to know. There was a big storm coming, and it was only a matter of time before we would be caught in it.

"Guys, we should really speed this up. I'm no meteorologist, but I really don't think we're safe in this sugar mill shit." I spoke, as more rain began to fall. It was mostly sprinkles on and off, but I could feel the storm become stronger with time.

We made our way through the sugar mill, avoiding fallen structures and the infected. We found ourselves at a large building with the Sugar Mill Company logo, several flights of stairs beckoning us.

"Not this shit again!" Coach was frustrated, as they had climbed many flights of stairs at the hotel in Savanna. I was still in shock from Jace's gruesome death, I had lost time in my own thoughts.

"Hey, you okay? You just froze, and seemed to zone out..." Ellis pulled me out of my thoughts, and I could see the concern wash over his face. I smiled at him, in reassurance and with confidence. I never thought I'd lose Jace, but I do still have faith that all things happen for a greater reason and purpose.

We rush our way up the four flights of stairs, leading to a few corridors with barrels lit with fire. There was an elevator, and an open skyline revealing a gas station.

"Look, there's the gas station! We just have to call the elevator...Get ready for a horde." Ellis made a comment, and got tense. We never could just get somewhere, there was always side missions.

I aimed at any infected that came within 5 feet of myself. They were loud, and extremely fast runners. Not to mention, they can climb like monkeys up a four story building with no problems. If there was a cure, how could you give it to such predatory creatures?

As soon as the elevator door opened, we rushed on and pressed the button. Thank God it still worked. The door opened to a field of corn and sugar cane.

We followed the sign in the distance, to get us out of the field. I could feel my shoes becoming filled with soggy water. In fact, all of our shoes were squeaking at the point. Blisters were a bitch, but it was a bitch we were going to gave to deal with.

"There it is." Coach laughed, as we continued to the gas station. I have never been so happy to see such a place in my life.

"On the bright side, we got the gas." Nick said, as he opened the door to the safe room within the gas station. There were several cans filled with gasoline. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the gas.

Things weren't all that bad.


	24. Hard Rain: Mill Escape

We had the gas canisters on our backs, as we gathered up any extra ammunition that had been laying around from other survivors. I still had hope that one day we'd find more survivors. Zoey, Francis, Bill, and Louis were the only other group we had encountered, and we wondered if they were still okay...or at least, I did. 

"Through the fields, and then we best be takin' that elevator back up." Coach instructed, as we began our path back through the corn and sugar fields. The weather was still shitty, but at least we had gas.

The rain was coming down much harder now, I could feel the drops actually pounce onto my skin like heavy marbles. The rain was beginning to fall and hurt my skin. I mentally cursed at the sky, knowing that much worse was to come our way. The wind started to get strong, heavily impairing our vision and hearing. 

"Stay close, y'all!" Rochelle yelled, but I could barely hear her. I closed my eyes, grasping onto Nick's coat. If we got separated in this, we might never find each other again.

At this point, we were walking very slowly. The winds would calm down for a while, and then pick back up. We had to time our moves as carefully as we could.

"Look! It's the sugar mill!" Ellis cheered, knowing that we were getting closer to the Milltown, and one step closer to Virgil. We ran as fast as we could while the wind was low, and the visibility was good. But, it was like a ticking time-bomb.

We made our way through the sugar mill, remembering the curves and avoiding the same pieces of machinery as last time. The storm was beginning to pass, but it seemed like it was longer than another storm I had witnessed.

We were now back on the streets of the Milltown. Following the distinctive lights, houses, and landmarks we remembered passing through the first time around. Things were becoming more familiar as we made it our mission to find the safe house. Which, was very close to us at this point. It had to be.

"Hell yeah, it's the safe room!" Coach yelled, smiling in the meantime. We were sprinting to the safe house. Nick locked the door and boarded it up, making it to where no flooding, or wind would get inside the room.

Before we had gotten the chance to catch our breath, a huge tree limb had fallen before us. The wind was now much louder, and stronger than ever before. The wind had picked up so much, the tree limb had been picked up by the wind and begun ro spin itself in a circle.

"Tornado! Get yo' asses behind something!" Coach yelled, getting under a table. My ears had been popping left and right, as the tornado had torn its way over the room. I closed my eyes, hoping this would all be over soon.

After a while, the sky had gone quiet. Soft rains were the only thing that filled my ears, but I refused to let my guard down. We all removed ourself from our protective stances, and made our way to the door, looking out to see the utter destruction.

Holy shit.


	25. Hard Rain: Return to Town

As soon as the storm had settled, we decided to keep moving. Milltown was messy, especially after the tornado had passed through. Too bad it couldn't have wiped out the population of infected in the area along with it.

Most of the town was quiet, and we began noticing the landmarks. First it was the porch light, then the yard sale sign, and then we knew we were nearly to the nest safe house. It was one of the shortest of journeys, considering everything we've been through this far.

The ambulance, and the playground were crossed through next, and they were both relatively clear of infected. It was weirdly silent, like something was getting ready to happen...

Within a few minutes, we were within eyeshot distance of the safe house.

This safe house was inside of an actual house. We hadn't really got to have such a luxury before. I had hopes of maybe spending the night here, and getting a good night's sleep before signaling Virgil tomorrow.

The house had an upstairs bedroom and bathroom, while the downstairs portion contained a large kitchen, living room, and three more bedrooms. I was absolutely thrilled, and could tell everyone else was too. We explored every room, crook, and cranny before people started to claim their own rooms.

"I call this one to myself!" Coach hollered, placing a claim on one of the downstair bedrooms. Rochelle followed, and Nick got the last bedroom. Leaving Ellis and I to the upstairs master bedroom with our very own bathroom.

"Damn, this is nice. Haven't seen a house like this since, hell, maybe ever." Ellis smiled at me, and he took the left side of the bed. I walked over to the right, and took my soggy shoes off. As I pulled my socks off, my feet revealed several blisters and scratches. I sighed and gathered a few of my surgical tools.

"What are you doin'?" Ellis asks, but I avoid answering. This definitely wasn't going to be pretty, but I needed to be at my best to get us back on that boat. I couldn't do that if I was hurting over a few blisters on my feet.

I cleaned my needles, and began popping the blisters. Each one took around seven minutes, allowing for the infection to flood itself out of my skin cells. It was gross, but I definitely had seen worse in my days of residency.

"Okay Dr. Kelsey. What's my diagnosis?" Ellis jokes, as he changes into something else. I had almost finished bandaging my feet with gauze.

"What are your symptoms?" I continued with the joke, and slid under the covers. The bed had a memory foam mattress, and fit well with our bodies. I had to stop myself from falling asleep immediately. I could see Ellis fighting it as well, but he still hung on to the consciousness.

"We should get some sleep, I love you Kelsey." Ellis kissed my forehead, and moves his body around mine. His arms were protectively placed around my body, and his head was inches. away from my shoulders.

I felt his breath begin to sync with mine, and I felt as warm and comfortable as I had ever felt as I slowly drifted into a wave of sleepiness.


	26. Hard Rain: Town Escape

Today was the day. If we didn't leave today, we weren't going to. Ever.

"Maybe we could turn on that burger sign, that should get Virgil's attention."

"That plan ain't all that bad." Ellis commented, as he put his cap back on. I giggled, knowing damn well that it was my fault for it being off.

"Yeah, let's go for it." Rochelle reaffirmed, and I nodded. I had the giggles, and Nick was giving me a look both of confusion and gratefulness. I could tell he was happy that I was in a good mood. But I also knew it hurt him that I was close to Ellis.

We made our way back over the ramp, leaving us in the swamps of water around the gas station. The rain was still coming down, but not nearly as hard as it had. I was grateful for the end of the storms.

"Signs on. Get ready to put up a fight." Coach says, cocking his gun. He threw a bike bomb, making the horde go towards it, rather than us. It was a good idea, and we kept throwing different kinds of bombs, and the infected chased them down. We had gotten a bunch of materials from the trip to the other gas station. Molotovs, grenades, pipe bombs, you name it and we probably have it.

It was horde after horde, it seemed like it would never end. Nonetheless, we kept fighting. I had my gun pointed towards a spitter, when I heard he loud echo of a distant boat horn.

"VIRGIL!" I yell, excitedly running towards the doc to board. I look behind me, and see that the rest of the crew was swiftly running behind me.

However, we weren't the only ones running towards the boat...

"TAAANK!" Nick screams, shooting the tank. It was as if the bullets were not damaging the damn thing. We kept running, hoping the tank would just give up. We were lucky enough, to find out it was true.

"That was close."


	27. Days Gone By

The first day was very uneventful. Virgil had just picked us up from the burger joint, we were all healing ourselves, and Nick and I were sort of on the outs. As much as I wanted to talk to him, if things went bad I wouldn't be able to escape. I was stuck on a boat, with all of my pre-existing problems.

However, the next few days were actually pretty good...

"What are you doing?" I hear Nick ask me, as he slowly made his way over to my room in the boat. It's where I spent my time when the weather up top wasn't as pleasant.

"Writing a letter." I answered, never letting my eyes leave the page. The letter was already half written. As advice from Rochelle, I decided to write two letters to Nick and Ellis. I was going to explain how exactly I felt about each of them. However, she failed to mention the fact that she convinced Nick and Ellis to write letters to me.

"To who?" Nick asked me, looking extra suspicious of my actions. It took me a moment before I noticed he had a letter in his hand.

"Who do you think?"

"Rochelle asked you to write too, huh?" Nick laughed, placing the letter gently beside me. I flashed a smile, as I finished mine.

"Nice doing business with ya." I laughed, as I handed him his letter. I was scared, to say the very least. There was a chance that he was going to say that he didn't want anything to do with me, and initially I was okay with that. Later, this became a problem of its own.

I read the letter, immediately after he had left. His handwriting was very clean, and in cursive. It was beautiful. I carefully traced my fingers along the words as I read them;

Dear Kelsey,

Rochelle convinced me to write this damn thing, but I got to give it to her; it was a good idea. A chance to let you know the truth. As messy, and as unexpected as the truth is, you must know the truth. Especially with the shithole we live in now.

When I met you in the hotel, I saved you. You were in shock, but you looked so beautiful. I just never knew how to show anyone what I really feel. I realize now, that it's a mistake.

It didn't actually sink in until the day I kissed you. You're so feisty when you're angry, you should really get that checked out. I guess what I'm trying to say is you are like nothing I've ever seen, nobody is like you. You care, you're compassionate, and you're willing to die for the people you love. And, as horrible as this sounds, I want to be one of those people.

Because I love you.

With love,

Nick

Tears had filled my eyes, wether it be happiness or sadness. He loved me? He didn't show it, in fact until he kissed me, I had no idea he thought about me like that. Would this change things?

"Hey, are. you okay? You look upset..." Ellis had came in, and I dropped the letter. He picked it up for me, noticing who had written it. I spotted a letter in Ellis' hand, and I was worried. What would his say?

"Listen, just read them both. Then gather yourself, and your thoughts. Then we'll talk." Ellis said, with comforting smile on his face. I could see the tinge of pain within his green eyes. I smiled and began to unfold the letter.

It looked very neat, and kept with care. The letter read;

Dear Kelsey,

I'm sure you have already gotten Nick's letter. In fact, I overheard Rochelle when she was talking to Nick about writing his. There was no convincing necessary. I knew what I had to do.

I've never met a girl like you, you're just different. I knew how pretty you were from the get-go. But as I got to know you, I learned about how sweet and pure you were. You're just so perfect. In the carnival, I spent my time trying to find a single flaw in you. And as hard as I tried, I couldn't.

I love you, and I'm not as good with my words like Nick is, but believe me when I say that I love you. That night, you and me in the woods, I will never forget that. In those moments, I knew that I was insanely in love with you.

Sincerely,

Ellis

Damn. I just read two heartfelt letters from two heartfelt people. A part of me already knew what I wanted. But, in this world I knew things wouldn't go the way I had hoped. But it was worth a shot.

How will I ever choose?


	28. No Rest For the Weary

I hadn't left my bed. How could I walk around when I had two beating hearts lying in my hands?

"Hey, so I heard the letter delivery went well! What'd they say?" Rochelle came in, happily swinging herself around the room.

"Well, they both told me how much they love me. But-"

"There are no buts, Kelsey. You can't keep stringing them both along. You and I both know how wrong that is." Rochelle sat herself beside me, and began reading both letters.

"I need air." I stood up from the bed, preparing myself to head to the upper deck. They might be up there, waiting for a response that I hadn't prepared for.

I was met with the gentle wind blowing through my hair, and I couldn't help but close my eyes. If the world was like this, we could have lives again.

"Your mind must be fried."

I smiled, and turned around. It was Coach. Whenever I was around, I felt safe. It reminded meow the way I felt about my dad. He was protective, gentle, and remorseful. Those days seem so distant now, but those days were the days I longed for.

Coach hugged me, and I let it all come pouring out of me. Every tear, every ugly sob. In that moment, I was reminded of a memory of my father and I.

(EIGHT YEARS AGO)

"What if I can't get in? I can't not get in! I have no backup plan!" I was freaking out, and on the verge of tears. I was filling out my medical school application.

"Kelsey, I know you better than anyone. You will get in." My dad was trying to comfort me. Without trying, his smile could make everything better, even the worst of situations. It was like he always knew what to say.

"But what if I don't?"

"Stop asking yourself 'what if' and start asking yourself 'when?' Then you'll get somewhere." He laid his hand gently on my shoulder. His smile had a way of removing my problems from existance.

"Okay. When I get in, I have to move out. The school is closer if I just live with Jace." I say, actually realizing that I will be moving out soon. It's a little scary, but I think I'm ready for it.

"I'm going to miss you Kel."

"No, I'm the one who is going to miss you. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you."

"Whenever you miss me, remember our song," my dad was one of then kindest men I knew, "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom; let it be." He sang. He wasn't the best singer, but was most certainly not the worst either. Those words would forever be engraved into my heart.

(PRESENT)

"Thanks for the pep-talk. I just needed a minute to get it all out." I sigh, breathing in the fresh air. There were no infected, it was just us and the boat.

"It's tough being loved by two men. I for one, couldn't imagine it." Coach laughed at his own comment, earning my laughter.

As it got dark out, I decided to go back to my bed. I wasn't getting myself anywhere if I didn't sleep. But I made a promise to myself that in the morning, I would make my choice. No more putting it off.

Like they always say, there is no time like the present.


	29. The Chosen One

Just say it, Kelsey.

"I choose you. It's always been you, you know that. Not a day will go by that I don't love you." His hand in mine, his eyes inside of mine, his voice on repeat in my head.

"I'm so glad you came to your senses." He laughed, brushing a blonde piece of hair behind my ear. Maybe it was fate, or maybe it wasn't. Either way, we were destined to be together. Right here, right now.

"Listen, you have to promise me that you wont do anything stupid now. Like, risk your life to save mine. No more of that."

"You do realize that now I have to do that? I just got you, I'm not going to lose you. I can, however, promise to not get eaten by one of those fuckers." He laughed at me, and pulled me into a kiss. Somehow I knew that would never get old.

"I'm afraid, we've arrived at your destination..."


	30. The Parish: Waterfront

"I won't be going any further. You all can make it to the bridge from here. Good luck to you!" Virgil had just let us off of his boat, and put us ashore the waterfront of New Orleans. Apartments and little restaurants filled the streets.

"Looks like we're on our own now, y'all ready?" Coach sighed, as we all got our weapons out. Maybe the outbreak down here wasn't as bad as it was in Savanna.

"We have to try."

We made our way through the waterfront, taking out any remaining infected. So far, it wasn't as bad here.

The next corridor revealed that we were far from the truth. The alley was overrun, filled to the rim with infected individuals. My stomach sank, and I knew this wasn't going to be easy. This was only the beginning...

We did find an overturned semi-truck with a stairway up to the second floor apartment buildings, containing various amounts of weaponry and ammunition.

Just ahead, was a restaurant with a somehow untouched jukebox. Ellis couldn't help himself, and with that choice came a horde of infected. None of us wanted to place the blame on him, he just wanted to hear his favorite band play one last time.

Something didn't feel right. I didn't feel well, and was beginning to show it. I felt the bile in my stomach rise and I make my way away from the group, in fear of scaring them. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nick came over to me, as I leaned away. I had just vomited up the granola bar I had for breakfast a few hours earlier. Nick moved my hair out of my face and held it back for me.

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that." I tell him, trying to brush myself off like nothing had happened.

"In sickness and in health, even if we aren't married." Nick smiles, and grabs few napkins from inside of his jacket. It made my heart flutter that he would be willing to see me literally puking my guts out, but it also grossed me out.

"At least it's not boomer bile." I smile, and we began to make our way back to the group. Something felt weird, and I didn't know what had made me get so sick. It made me wonder...

"You okay there? You look like you lost ten pounds!" Rochelle picked at me, and gave me a hug. She never failed to put a smile on my face.

"Hey, can I tell you something? It's kinda...well I need a favor."

"Okay, what's with all the secrecy? Wait...if you need tampons I have some in my bag-" Rochelle noticed how we were the two women behind the three men ahead of us. They couldn't hear us, and she knew that too.

"That's not what I'm worried about having. It's why I'm not having that problem." I try to avoid saying the word. I could just be overanalyzing it all.

Rochelle put two and two together, realizing my situation. She seemed both excited for me and extremely nervous as well. It was like watching myself in third person. I didn't know what was happening to me. But this? Holy shit.

"I have a plan."

We walked through many rooms, buildings, corridors and eventually leading us to a safe room. Me, being myself, takes to Rochelle's side like a magnet. We even went in the bathroom together. Surprisingly, none of the group suspected anything or even batted an eye.

"Pee on the stick and then wait five minutes." Rochelle had made it her mission to get her hands on several pregnancy tests around the buildings. She found a few in a couple of the apartments. Thank God for people who were trying to have kids.

"I know how this works!" I laugh, and begin the process.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous for you... Speaking of, who's would it be?" Rochelle's seemingly innocent question had me thinking. Did I know who's baby I could be having? Not in the slightest.

"Now, we wait."

It seemed like the longest five minutes of my life. Not only would this change my life, it would change the group. Nick and Ellis were both potential fathers, and would want to know if the baby was theirs. Coach wouldn't want to have another person to protect, and Rochelle wouldn't either. But, it's a baby. A little human.

"Kelsey, it's positive."


	31. The Parish: Park

Two pink lines. One word; pregnant.

How would they take the news?

I held the stick in my hands and sat on the edge of the bathtub, paralyzed in fear. I watched as scenarios played in my head. Of me, eight months pregnant trying to run from infected. Me trying to run from hordes with a crying baby on my shoulder. It all scared me. I couldn't do this. There was too much to lose. But they deserved to know.

I hear a loud knock on the door, and followed by a very concerned voice asking me a question.

"What's taking so long? Everything okay in there?" Nick asked, and I fell silent. My eyes were locked with the stick. The two lines seemingly laughed at me, and I couldn't take it anymore. As shaky as I was, I forced myself to the door.

Rochelle looked at me, painfully watching as I walked out of the bathroom. I was crying, I could feel the salty tears leaving my eyes. But I was silent. I handed the stick to Nick.

His face went white. Like he had seen a ghost. The look on his face sold me the story. He looked terrified, like for once he had no idea what to do. He always had plans, but this time, he had no plan for this.

He handed me the stick back, and pulled me into his arms, pulling me out of my frozen state. I wrapped my arms around him, and looked at him in the eyes.

He turned and walked towards Ellis, and Ellis was walking towards me. Nick had already started a conversation with Coach, knocking the silence out like a light.

"Nick said you had something to tell me. What's going on?" Ellis looked more confused than anything else. His face showed confusion, rather than concern. Meaning, Nick hadn't told him.

"I'm pregnant."

Ellis didn't look as scared as Nick had, actually Ellis was very happy. He knew that I had picked Nick, but he hugged me anyway. It felt nice to be comforted. I needed it. I really needed to hear that it was going to be okay.

"I don't know what's going on, but we should probably hit the road." Coach says, analyzing the amount of infected gathering in our area. We mutually agreed, and gathered our things. Nick, Ellis, and Rochelle kept an annoyingly close eye on me. Every move I made, they made too. Every stumble I made, they helped up.

We followed the streets, which then led to a large park. It was completely surrounded by heavily maintained bushes. We had to follow the inside maze, which eventually ledes out the other side.

We continued our path, and found ourselves under a collapsed intersection. It was overrun and looked impossible to navigate through.

Coach threw a pipe bomb, which exploded most of the horde. Thankfully, we were able to make our way out of the intersection and into an emergency vehicle used by CEDA.

"The door will sound if opened without proper clearance from CEDA. Lovely, looks like we're gonna attract a crowd." Rochelle sighed, but knew what we all had to do. She gave me a glance, and I knew what she meant. But I couldn't stay behind, that would only lead to more trouble.\

We all ran to the toward, climbing two sets of ladders to get to the alarm box. Ellis made his way there before anyone else, and cleared the tower of any infected. We then made our way down the tower and found a room with a long walkway, leading us to the next safe room.

"I didn't think we'd make it there for a second. Not gonna lie." Rochelle was out of breath, after running literally for her life.

"At least we're all alive."


	32. The Parish: Cemetery

We were under a highway, though it wasn't as clear as it should be. There was many infected, wandering about through the overpass.

We made our way through and found ourselves within a small subdivision, houses lining the sidewalks. We went through several rooms, and jumped over many cars to get to the other side of the houses. We were weaving our way around the houses, trying to find a way out.

"Looks like we gotta go underground." Coach announces, taking his flashlight to see down the hole. It wasn't very deep, but it was our only way out of here.

"Damn it, not again." Nick scoffs, taking a deep breath. I laughed at him for being so melodramatic.

We weren't in the sewer very long, but it felt like forever. We eventually find the ladder out, but what we saw when we got out left us wishing to still be in the sewer.

"Holy shit." Ellis says, looking around at the amount of infected surrounding beneath the overpass. There were car alarms chirping, just waiting to go off. One wrong move, and the horde would be headed our way within seconds.

"Turn the lights out, and follow me. Don't make a sound." I spoke softly, and then crouched. We walked around the horde, stealthily. No way were we in the shape to take on hundreds of zombies.

We had almost made it to the next ladder, when Ellis fell over onto a car, signaling the alarm. The horde turned around and began to run towards us. My heart skipped a beat, but I kept running to the ladder.

"Hurry!" I yelled, as I had just reached the top of the ladder. As the last person was up, an army airliner had blown up a part of the bridge we were on.

"What the hell are they doing?" Rochelle yelled, it was clear that CEDA was trying to prevent sick people from invading the rest of the city. But what about us?

"They're blowing this bridge up for a retreat. If we want to go with them, we'd better hurry." Nick said, and the group agreed. We had all been through so much. If we get stuck here, we had no other plan...

We navigated through the cemetery, the graves were the most protective I had seen in a cemetery. They were very neat, sealed with extravagant cemented architecture. Eventually we found ourselves on a street with stringing apartment buildings. The last one on our left contained a safe house.

"Why are there so many infected down here?" Rochelle asked, taking the shotgun strap off other shoulder.

"Probably because it's the last CEDA evacuation center. Plus, New Orleans has a very high population density." I stated, it was the most plausible of the options. Either that or the infected really enjoy the southern hospitality of the French Quarter.

"You're probably right."


	33. The Parish: Quarter

"They're already surrounding the quarter..."

"Jesus, I hope CEDA is actually out there." Coach had always been the positive one of the crew. Rochelle usually sided with Coach and made some sassy comment following. We were losing our hope of surviving.

I couldn't give up. There was a life counting on me now. Giving up would be submitting to giving up on someone that had no choice in the matter. Who was I to play God?

"Really makes ya wonder." Ellis commented, looking through the bars of the safe room door. There were quite a few infected roaming in the quarter. We did what we had to do.

"Kill all sons of bitches, right?" Ellis laughed, and grabbed all of his weapons. The rest of us did the same. Nick kicked the door down, and we made our way into the quarter. The sound of rapid fire filled the air, and filled my ears.

The blood was splattered everywhere, on the walls of the quarter, on the floor. It looked like a scene from a very graphic horror movie. I tried to pretend that it wasn't there. But it was. Nonetheless, we had to keep moving. CEDA waited patiently for no one.

We made our way through many buildings and hallways, but with the sound of helicopters flying over we decided to stop. A few moments passed, and then a sudden shrill of sound shook the ground we were standing on. They were bombing us.

"Why the hell?" I screamed, as I fell to the floor. The ground shook so hard, the objects in the room fell abruptly to the floor as I had. Luckily, I didn't hit my head. I didn't not a head injury right now.

Rochelle helped me up, and we kept going. Staying would lead us to be bombed, moving gave us the advantage of time. The appearance of giving us time. Time was such a forever thing. Once the time had passed, you couldn't go back and change anything. You're just stuck in the moment, the natural flow of running time.

The next thing I know, we're on the rooftops of some apartments. At the bottom was a tractor with several floats. It had a board of wood on the top, a way for us to get through to the next street over. It was going to be tough, but we didn't have time to waste. CEDA waits for nobody.

Nick turns the tractor on, and it slowly makes it way through the quarter. The familiar old-fashioned New Orleans parade music cascaded through the air. If this wasn't the apocalypse I might have appreciated it a bit more.

"Come on, let's keep going." Nick shouted, walking across the wood panel. We were in another apartment complex, making our way down the sets of stairs. There's no telling how many calories I had been burning running all over the southeast of the Untied States.

I kept my head up, and kept my ears open. It was strangely quiet, other than the occasional bomb being dropped just miles away from us.

We followed the beaten path and found ourselves on a rather empty road. The housing was torn apart, and the cars were twisted and turned about on the street before us.

We went through the apartments which led us through an alley way and put on the right path towards another safe room.

We could see a fallen bridge, a part of the highway system that led to the bridge out of the city. The bridge was our last chance to reach CEDA on the other side.

We tread through the aray of stray cars and fallen pieces of the overpass that had since been torn apart. It was mostly vast, but a few infected were still lingering about the area. Overall, it was a pretty smooth trip especially compared to the rest of New Orleans.

"We're safe!" I say, smiling. At least we had reached the bridge. The last thing we needed to do was get across to the other side.

"For now..."


	34. The Parish: Bridge

The safe room was consistent with several canisters of water and gas were throw about in the room. The room always had a red ladder leading up to the next level.

"I guess we should see what's up there." Nick said, as he took the first step onto the ladder. It was stable and had a firm grip to the wall.

When we got to the top, the signature red door was prominent to the front of the room. There were several bombs, molotovs, and adrenaline shots placed carefully onto tables. There were also six clean health kits placed within the two tables.

I couldn't help but get a little happy. I was running low on clean bandages after a few close run ins with infected. I get restocked, and Ellis opened the safe room door to reveal a bridge which hadn't been lowered yet. There was a man laying against a police car, blood still pooling around him. He had a radio flying around in his lap, Ellis noticed and began speaking to the people.

"Are you immune?"

"I'm feelin' pretty good. How are you, sir?"

"Negative, bridge. Are you immune? Have you encountered the infected?" The man on the radio seemed concerned with our immunity. Meaning, certain people were carriers of the disease and some weren't.

"Hell yeah, we found zombies everywhere. The swamp, the city, and here." Ellis commented, and laughed to himself. It was truly insane how much we accomplished within such a short amount of time. Traveling from Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana.

"Our last chopper leaves in 10 minutes. You need to lower the bridge and get across to the east end. Good luck."

"Let's get across this goddamn bridge."

The bridge lowering was not quiet. There was no doubt in my mind that the amount of noise made would attract the horde. I shuddered at the thought of having to even deal with another horde.

"Let's book it!" Rochelle yells, getting ready to run across the bridge. Cars were left dangling off the edge of the bridge, some were carefully parked in place. We had to navigate over cars, under cars, and just completely go around the trucks. There was telling what happened when people were stuck one this bridge. You could tell that utter chaos broke through, and took everyone with it.

I took my axe and had slashed many infected, as I walked in-between Coach and Nick. We were about half-sprinting to the other side. I could finally see the silver chopper that's awaiting our presence.

"Look, we're almost there!" I point to the chopper, and continuing making my way across. Nick stops me before I fell to my impending death, and I gasped. I had been running towards a huge drop off with the concrete.

"Over the bus, unless you want to celebrate two funerals in one." Nick joked, still gripping my arm like a sinking ship. We made our way off the bus' roof, and began the narrow path made by CEDA to keep order.

I followed the path and ran with everything in me. My knees were beginning to give out, but my feet used the adrenaline rush to get me in the back of the chopper. I turn around and see the rest of the group behind me. The sound of the chopper quickly became louder than that of the grunts of the undead.

"We made it. We fucking made it."


	35. Fly Away

The bridge was completely obliterated. The sound was nearly defeating, even when it was mixed with the sound of the helicopters roters rotating violently.

"Holy shit..." I say under my breath. If we had been a second later, we wouldn't have made it. My baby and I were going to be okay. Everything would be fine.

"Buckle up, we have a couple hours ahead of us." The pilot recommended, and continued to fly us the hell out of here.

"Roger that." Nick says sarcastically, the pilot didn't find it funny. But we sure did.

The next few hours were pretty boring, but the group kept me occupied.

"What do you think this place looks like?" Rochelle asks, looking around the helicopter for a new sign to read.

"You have no idea how pissed I am with CEDA. I mean, we've been on a wild goose chase because they can't keep a few evacuation stations safe." Nick scoffed, looking out the helicopter windows. As mad as we were, we couldn't misbehave with them. They did save us from being blown up, even if the blowing part was their idea.

"Let's play this smart. If CEDA is still at this quarantine place, then we will have to be tested. They wouldn't risk their last safe haven without some precautions."

"Their track record would beg to differ." Coach jokes, remembering the huge map in the hotel. The entire east coast CEDA evacuation centers had been completely wiped out. Who's to say that this one won't have the same fate?

"He has a point. What do we do when this place goes to shit?"Rochelle, being her usual anxious self, asks. Which I do share the same concerns, yet I keep the same blind faith I've had this entire time.

"I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I say, trying to keep my faith with CEDA, despite have being left behind countless times by these people.

"Did you just-" Ellis looks up, and expresses a look of dread.

"Shit, too soon."

The rest of the ride was fairly quiet, Rochelle and Nick fell asleep, Coach and Ellis played road trip games, and I began imagining the place we would soon call home. I imagined an elegant crib, surrounded with bountiful toys and stuffed animals. Nick and I would hold our child, not in fear of being torn apart the second we turn our backs. Would things ever be normal again? In ten years? Maybe five hundred? Who knew?

The door to the helicopter lifted, and a bright light shined in my eyes. Once my eyes adjust, I see several heavily suited men with gas masks and guns aiming at us all. I look to Nick who looks just as confused and concerned as I do.

Maybe being rescued was a bad move after all...

"Welcome to quarantine. We hope you will enjoy your stay."


	36. You're Important Now

"I understand why you're doing this, but trust me when I say that we have been scratched, bitten, slapped, stomped, and tortured by these infected. If we were infected, wed know by now. I'm not infected. You tell me what's wrong with us!" Rochelle was getting irritated by the overwhelming feeling of being surrounded by other living people.

"You're both carriers." The doctor reveals, taking his face mask off. I observe the man's white coat, reading Dr. Martin.

"You're all carriers. You're infected, but not showing any symptoms. But that's not my only finding, I'm afraid. You are all immune."

"How the hell is this possible?" Ellis gets up from his seat and walks towards the doctor. He had a threatened tone in his voice. I stopped him before he got too close to the doctor.

"I'm not sure."

This information meant a great deal for both us and the future of the human race. I knew what they were going to do to us. I, however, would do everything I can to stop it from happening.

"Is there a cure?" Ellis asks, getting comfortable in his seat. It was clear we were going our be here for a while.

"Not yet. This virus defies everything we've ever seen. Sometimes its airborne, sometimes it's not. It mutates daily. We're trying to cure it, but we can't even pinpoint it."

"Wait, so if we're carriers...can we infect other people?" Nick asks, as he continues to eye the doctor. I shuttered under myself, and hid my fear of the impending experiments.

"Yes, which as it turns out, you all are the ones that have been spreading the virus across the east coast. You are not the only carriers, meaning there are more of you." We all look at each other, in shock.

"Holy shit, the pilots...the rescuers...we killed them?"

"I'm afraid so." The doctor sighed, as the men who were saving our asses were killed by us. We were the killing machine.

"Oh my God..."


	37. Into A Corner

"There is something you all can do." The doctor suggests, smiling. The room was bland, cold and even worse that the safe houses we had been in.

"We're not doing anything for you assholes. So far, you've blamed us for killing the world." Nick says, getting close to the doctors desk, and leaning over it. The doctor flinched a little, but not too noticeable.

"Kelsey, I know you were a doctor. We need you on our side. Many of us left to find family, and many of us have died. You are immune, meaning you can stay here and never catch the virus." Doctor Martin gave you a sympathetic look, before opening one of his cases.

"You expect me to help you?" I laugh, ignoring his stupid antics. No way in hell would I risk everything to help the people who left us behind countless times.

"Come on, we did thorough testing on all of you. None of you are infected, but Kelsey...you are carrying precious cargo." Doctor Martin smirked, clearly using his business skills to sell me out of my life to serve CEDA.

"You're trying to use my unborn child as a bargaining chip?" I mock his intentions, and the group backed me up. We wouldn't be taken down without a fight.

"Don't you want it to survive? You can't actually believe you can keep it alive out there?" The doctor laughed, "Think about t; the blood curdling screams all through the night, the need for diapers and formula, and the constant keep-up of an infant. Even if it does survive, for how long? How long can you run with a crying baby?" As much as I hated to admit it, I had thought about how hard it would be to keep a living, breathing child alive in a world like this.

"Shut up, before I give you something to cry about." Nick threatened, grabbing the doctor's collar and nearly choking him. I couldn't help but grin at the sight.

"Watch yourself, Nicholas. You my friend, are on thin ice." The doctor struggled to speak, but managed to choke out the words. How fucking pitiful.

"Thin ice my ass! Let's go." Coach groans, and moves towards the exit. Only to be stopped by more people with heavy suits and large guns, pointing directly at our heads.

"I'm afraid you're now CEDA's property."


	38. The Rules

"You five are more trouble than we thought."

"Yeah? Can't say we haven't heard that one before." Rochelle sighed, and laughed. The soldiers weren't very amused. A soldier came over to Rochelle slowly, my fear growing larger for my group member and friend.

The soldier smacked Rochelle with the butt of his gun. I screamed, and ran over to her. One of the guards grabbed my shoulder, and tossed me on my back. It hurt like a son of a bitch. My head was spinning in circles, and I could feel a bruise forming on my lower back.

"Don't touch her!" Ellis yelled, and I turned my head towards him. The floor felt like frozen concrete beneath my pale skin.

"Hey! What in the world do you think you're doing? The two possibly pregnant women and you try to hurt them? You can't follow Colonel's orders? What will he have to say about this?" A young woman came in the door, shocked at the sights that met her eyes.

"Uh-" The man looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It did make me happy to see he had some sort of supervisor.

"Save it, Doug," she smiled, "I've been waiting for you to slip up for months! Sweet revenge..." The woman seemed to be on our side.

"Who are you?" Rochelle chocked out, half-heartedly. Her nose was bleeding, but seemed to stop. The man that hit her was very strong, meaning that it would probably leave bruises and trauma behind.

"People like to call me Mrs. Hallows, I prefer professional escape artist." The woman was wearing black leather pants paired with a white-collared button up with a blue trench coat. She smiles at us, and helps untie our restraints.

I smiled, and stood up.

We were getting the hell out of here.

The plan went smoothly, until it came time for me to do my part...

"Remember our plan. Don't mess up, because I can't lie for you or I'll be executed." Mrs. Hallows comments, making herself clearly understood. I could understand her persistence with keeping a clean slate with CEDA. They still had military power, even as the country was torn apart in nearly entirely anarchy.

"Thank you so much for your help, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Ro offered the woman a chance at her own freedom, instead she instinctively turned it down. She was just trying to help others, but she deserved to rid herself of her duties to CEDA. That just wasn't my place to pry.

"I have more people to liberate."

I looked at everyone, and smiled. The last two months, we've grown so much closer as a group. As friends, even. It was great not worrying about infected, but it seems so far that the living are far more dangerous than the dead.

We didn't question her logic, but we continued with the plan. Which was based on each of us causing distractions for each other, and the last person would be protected by Mrs. Hallows herself. The last person, was me.

"What do you think you're doing here?" A security guard had seen my presence within the darkened room, which had a hidden underground tunnel leading into the streets. Only Mrs. Hallows knew of the tunnel, as she was the arbitrator.

"Oh, leave her be. I told her to meet here." The man didn't move, "Did I stutter? Get out." Mrs. Hallows commands, and he does as she says. She locks the door behind him, ensuring the safety of both myself and her ass.

"You know what to do. Stay safe out there, Kelsey. The world needs you."


	39. Sweet Freedom

"Oh thank God, for a second there I thought they caught you." Coach expressed his relief at my safe return. I smiled, making a note that everyone was here. We were free.

As strange as it was, we were free. Yes, we were back out with the infected, but being forced to work with CEDA was much worse. At least we were left to make our own choices, and not be suffocated with the insufferable tension of keeping up with CEDA twenty-four hours a day.

"Where are we going to go now?" I ask, covering my arms with my long sleeves. It was getting colder outside, as the seasons progressed into fall.

"I have no idea..."

"I think I might know a few places." Nick suggested, as he walked down the street. He kept his ideas to himself, other than finding a car.

Nick found a vehicle, and was able to kickstart the engine with a little help from Ellis. Rochelle and I were discussing the locations of back-up places to stay. If we could board it up well enough, we could make it on our own.

Nick got us all in the car, and nobody exactly protested it. Ellis made the occasional joke, and Coach mainly complained about the lack of food in sight, and Rochelle was in her own world. I had zoned out, and I think Nick had too.

His face was stone cold, his eyes never leaving the road. I watched as his hands were placed firmly along the steering wheel, and listening to his breathing patterns. He seemed tense on the outside, it made me wonder what was going on inside of his mind.

"We're here..." Nick says, pulling into a long driveway. I was confused, and so was the rest of the group. So far, we were still on the road.

"What do you mean? No offense, but it looks like we're still driving."

"This is why this can work. It's a prison, completely isolated from the rest of the world. Most courts send the worst of people here, and not many people other than big name lawyers and politicians know this place exists." Nick explained, grabbing my hand in his. He seemed so confident within his discovery, than I had to believe and go along with the plan. It made sense, if nobody knew about it, nobody else would find us. Including the infected.

"Welcome to our new home, I guess. The last I heard, they had everyone evacuated and sent to county jails and state prisons. This should be empty." Nick elaborates, and we began to walk toward the front entrance.

The building was huge, spanning across what I'm assuming to be several acres of land. It was made of concrete, to hold such terrible people and their wrongdoings. It was very sturdy, nothing was getting in or out of these walls without a fight.

"What are you waiting for? Let's get inside."


	40. Hopes and Dreams

We had been at the prison for a few months now, and it had been the perfect place for us. It was safe, comfortable, and huge. There was plenty of room for all of us, and more.

I was nearly eight months pregnant, at this point. Nick and Ellis has still been on edge about my safety. Anything I needed, they got. Anytime I had a wince of pain, they jumped at the conclusion that I was in labor. Which, happened often.

"It's just Braxton hicks contractions. They're not real." I explain, trying to get as comfortable as I could. The pain was strong, but I had handled it well before. Why not now?

"Yeah, but those books say that you shouldn't always trust that it's just Braxton hicks." Ellis tried to reason with me, but with pregnancy brain there wasn't much leeway. I was so sure in myself, that I kept calm within my pain.

A few minutes went by again before another contraction hit.

"Ow!" I bent myself over the coach, and yelped. It was like I had been brutally punched, and was being tortured.

"I think you should sit-" Ellis stopped before I could fully stand up. He knew his boundaries when it came to being overly protective.

"I think you should sit down!" I yell, clutching my stomach in pain. There were sharp needles piercing my spine, and knives being dragged across my abdomen.

"Kelsey, woah..." Nick caught me before I fell limp, the pain was getting unbearable.

"The baby is coming, so get yourselves together."

I screamed, yelling every terrible word within the span of the English language. Nick looked focused, but concerned. He had never knocked somebody up before, let alone seen a woman in labor. Ellis looked scared shitless, as he hadn't seen any of this before.

Rochelle was the calmer of the bunch, she was getting everything ready like I had taught her, she was going to be the one to deliver my baby. Coach was the only one who had been there, and done this. Coach was able to keep the men calm, and gave Rochelle some helpful tips.

"Kelsey, listen to me. You have to breathe, and count to ten."

I counted, and followed the patterns Rochelle and I had went over. I did my best to push, even when it hurt like a son of a bitch. Nick was on my right, gripping my hand tightly, anxiously looking at Rochelle.

Ellis was on the other side of me, holding my hand tightly. They were both eyeing me with intense looks of fear. I couldn't help but laugh, as I felt another drop of sweat fall into my eye.

The room fell silent as a faint cry was heard exploding from the room. The pain was gone, and I could only focus on her.

"It's a girl." Rochelle handed me the baby, and I wrapped a clean towel gently around her tiny body.

"She's beautful, Kelsey." Nick looked directly at her, smiling in pure awe of her beauty. She was beautiful, and I would learn to protect her at any means necessary.

"Okay, spit in these. It's the only way to find out exactly who the father is."

I was too busy, gripping onto my baby girl to listen to the anxiously awaited news. I cleaned her off with the towel, and watched as her fingers wrapped around my finger. She wasn't crying anymore, and her eyes revealed it all.

"Congratulations, Nick. You're the father."

I smiled, and let Nick closer to her. She smiled as Nick leaned closer to my shoulder. She shared the same blue eyes as Nick.

"She's perfect. She's our little miracle." Nick says, flashing a smile at me. He leaned towards me, and left a kiss upon my lips.

I knew our story was far from over, but I could relish in the moment. In this moment, we were safe. My baby girl was safe. That was enough for today.

Everything was perfect.


End file.
